Goodbye to Sandra Dee

Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee (Reprise)

Look at me, there has to be
Something more than what they see
Wholesome and pure
Oh so scared and unsure
A poor man’s Sandra Dee

Sandy, you must start anew
Don’t you know what you must do?
Hold your head high
Take a deep breath and sigh,
“Goodbye to Sandra Dee.”

I heard this song today, and it make me think back on all the female singers who have chosen this path. Criticism of their innocence has caused some very notable superstars to say goodbye to the clean image that brought them to fame. It makes me sad. Purity has somehow become a shameful thing, and lewdness is considered desireable. It is interesting though how their careers tend to fade once they become more known for scandal than for making music—not that I have numbers to prove it, but it seems to be the case.

Ideas from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus

The Gospel of Luke has been my focus of study this month. I have passed through these pages many times before, but never stopped to give a single gospel multiple readings in a short time. New thoughts continue to come out of scriptures I thought I already knew.

The four parables the precede this one were told with the Pharisees and scribes present. Jesus was responding to the accusation that He received sinners and ate with them, so it makes sense that this message was also intended for them.

Bible verse My thoughts
Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: Jesus has been directing his parables to the Pharisees and scribes. It makes sense that the rich man is a representation of them. They were the spiritually privileged stewards of the Mosaic law.
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, Lazarus would be a representation of the publicans and sinners—those who flocked to Jesus, hungry for His message. Were the sores a representation of sins—the loathsome things that gave the scribes and Pharisees the excuse to hate the publicans?
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. This has similarities to the exchange Jesus had with the woman of Canaan when she begged Him to heal her daughter who was vexed with a devil. Though he explained to His disciples that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (the Apostles would take His message to the gentiles after He was risen), she was insistent that He also help her. He then made the analogy that it wasn’t right for dogs to get food that is intended for the children.Instead of getting angry she showed her humility and strong desire to partake of the blessings of that house. She responded by saying that even the dogs eat of crumbs that fall from the Master’s table. He commended her faith and healed her daughter.

In the parable, Lazarus hoped to eat of the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, but the rich man was unwilling to give. Where Jesus had compassion on lost souls who were seeking Him, the scribes and Pharisees did not.

I have wondered about the mention of the dogs licking the sores. This level of detail makes it stand out from the rest of the parable. I may be reading too much into it, but from what I know of dogs, the licking of sores would seem to be a show of concern and a desire to help and heal. Lazarus received more humane treatment from the dogs than he did from the rich man. It seems likely that the dogs represent the gentiles who were also seeking crumbs. The dogs and the beggar were in similar circumstances—rejected by those who had been given stewardship over the house. That would soon change. The publicans and sinners who followed the Messiah would be joined by gentiles as the Apostles took the gospel message to the world.

Matthew 15:12-14
12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; The two men finished their missions on earth.
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Their positions are reversed. Lazarus is the one in the higher position.Luke 18:9-14
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. The rich man sees Lazarus as a servant, someone he should be able to control.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. It is interesting that Lazarus isn’t part of the conversation. Abraham speaks for him.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. The rich man had his opportunity to make things right with Lazarus. That day is past.Luke 12:58-59
58 ¶When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.
59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: Again the rich man wants a favor from Lazarus the beggar he chose not to help.
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. It seems that Jesus was using the raising of his friend Lazarus from the dead to illustrate a point. Would bringing a dead man back to life be enough to convince the doubters that Jesus was the Christ?
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. The law of Moses was there to prepare them for the coming of the Messiah. Why didn’t they recognize Him? The stewards of the Law had twisted it:Luke 11:52
52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

Matthew 15:7-9
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. “Show them a sign so they will be startled into believing.”
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Miracles alone are not enough to turn a heart to God. Perhaps for a moment an unbelieving heart have no choice but to believe. It won’t be long before doubts and rationalizations come and those unbelieving hearts will be even more hardened. Those who believe in Christ are those who seek Him.

I have Moses and prophets, and Jesus triumphed over death. I have seen miracles in my own life that have helped me know that God loves me and that Jesus is the Christ. But with those blessings comes responsibility. How do I treat my neighbor? As I pass through my mortal probation, who is looking to me for help? Am I willing to be the answer to someone’s prayer? What additional miracle would it take to evaporate my ambivalence, and to shake me into action?

Forgiveness and the two sides of a window pane

Hurt feelings and bitterness are like dirt on a window pane. The bright light of friendship that once poured through the glass is obscured and shadows are cast on the the relationship. This glass has two sides and both sides must be cleaned for friendship to flourish again.

I am thankful for the friendships where bitterness and estrangement have been intolerable—where it hasn’t taken long for both sides to apologize and begin rebuilding the relationship after an argument. Not all of my friendships have fared so well. I can think of several situations where the disagreement was sharp and my feelings of justification kept me from seeking a peaceful solution. I don’t always make the best choices.

There is a savor to bitterness, especially when it’s hot. It is difficult to imagine thinking any other thoughts while the hurt is fresh. Pride is another impediment. It takes initiative to seek reconciliation after two parties stop talking. It may seem easier to paint our side of the glass black and stop worrying about it. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I can only stand the darkness for so long.

There are two separate cases where I reached my threshold of discomfort and decided to act. I wanted peace and comfort in the place of bitterness. As I no longer lived close to the people involved, I sent letters expressing my feelings and my desires to forgive and be forgiven. It felt good telling them I wanted to put the bad feelings behind me. It felt good to forgive them, and to ask forgiveness in return. Neither person sent me a response.

The pain is of a different kind now. Sadness has taken the place of bitterness. My side of the window is as clean as I can make it, but the other side is dark. It would be nice to have closure and to know that the rift has been fully mended. Unfortunately I can’t make someone forgive me. I can make the suggestion, but they too must decide that they have had enough of the bitterness and let it go.

Knowing how good it would feel to receive a positive word from these former friends, I need to be an example of someone who forgives more quickly in the future.

Do we know what manner of spirit we are of?

If I understand Luke 9:51-56 correctly, the Samaritans refused hospitality to Jesus and His disciples as they passed through the town. The Samaritans were offended because Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. In response, James and John asked the Lord if they should command fire to come down from heaven to consume the offenders. The merciful answer from Jesus gives me comfort. Though He expects me to “sin no more”, He would rather save me than send me to a fiery death. There will be a final judgement, but until then there is time to change. I’m thankful for those who have seen through my faults and loved me with the true love of Christ. As a disciple of Christ I should have the same mission—to love His children.

Nobody is redeemed or condemned by accident. Those who find their way to the Father’s kingdom will rightly belong there, and those who are rejected will also deserve their habitation. Christ will decide. I’m comfortable with that.


LUKE 9:51-56
51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.

53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

The Gospel of Luke and the theme of stewardship

As I concentrate on the Gospel of Luke, the theme of stewardship continues to impress upon my mind. It seems that most of Christ’s parables deal with stewardship in one way or another—the care we have been given of our fellow man. Given the purpose of our existence, if we do not love God and neighbor, whatever else we do will be of little eternal consequence1.

It is easy to concentrate on the management of our own material things because the consequences of those choices come quickly. If we are late paying a bill, it isn’t long before we are reminded of our transgression. Friendly reminders come first, but the urgency increases with each message that follows, until the reminders are no longer friendly. Penalties and punishments follow if we continue to ignore the messages.

On the other hand, if we neglect the spiritual stewardship of the Lord’s goods He does not pester us. We might be in a position to help someone and choose to ignore the prompting. Nothing happens. The Spirit may prick our conscience, but we otherwise go about our business.

I think about the publicans and sinners who were crying out for a Shepherd. I can imagine how they felt when He found them and fed them. The love He showed them was real. He wanted them back, just as He wants us back. We are charged to help with the search for lost sheep if we have ears to hear His message.

The parable of the sower says we are soil for the planting of seed. Some take the word of God and produce an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. I have doubtfully wondered if I am found in that productive group. What is the crop? Is it prodigal sons and daughters? What is my level of increase? When the Master comes, will he find me productive, or will He find my talent fearfully wrapped in a napkin? My own sense of urgency tells me I need to get busy.

We don’t know when the Lord will come, but “blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing”. I have been thinking about my blessings and how I might lighten the burdens of others. Thinking is good. Doing is better. Love is a verb.

The parable of the unjust steward in Luke 16

My most recent review of the parables in Luke has given me a new perspective on the parable of the unjust steward.

On my way to work a few days ago I was listening to the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament (King James Version). It’s nice to have the audio so accessible in the car. Sometimes I’m distracted by traffic, but generally I’m able to focus and really ponder the meanings of words.

Listening to spans of chapters can provide a broad picture of how things like parables are related to each other. It can give context that might otherwise be missed in a Sunday school lesson where only a few verses may be read at a time.

For this reason, before I talk about Luke 16 and the parable of the unjust steward, I want to review the preceding chapter, Luke 15, to get an idea of why the parable might have been given. Luke 15 starts out with the Pharisees and scribes murmuring, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” Jesus was the man they were accusing, and He responded with a series of nearly-identical parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. The common thread through each is the loss of something valuable, and great joy at its return.

The lost sheep, and the lost coin

In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd leaves the ninety and nine to find the one that is lost. The parable of the lost coin is very similar: a woman with 9 coins searches her house to find the tenth coin that is missing. The shepherd and the woman both rejoiced at the recovery of their treasures. After each parable the Lord gives the meaning.

The interpretations of the lost sheep and the lost coin might seem problematic unless you consider those men to whom Jesus was directing the parables: “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” Why would there be more joy over one than over the ninety and nine? Because the “ninety and nine”—the scribes and the Pharisees—considered themselves righteous and without need of repentance. They were willfully lost. They were rejecting the Shepherd. While the publicans and sinners were opening their eyes and ears to the Savior’s message, the scribes and Pharisees, who might have been the most influential in spreading the good news of the Messiah, were instead plotting ways to kill Him.

The prodigal son

The parable of the prodigal son adds an element to the Savior’s response: an elder son who did not stray. The father is overjoyed with the return of his wayward son, but the “righteous” son is not. Instead of being happy that his wayward brother has returned, he is angry to see a celebration for his return. He doesn’t value what his father values.

These parables are fitting responses to the murmuring Pharisees. The publicans and sinners have been dining with the Master, and who is angry about it? The “righteous” sons are angry. Jesus is seeking out the lost treasures while the scribes and Pharisees have nothing but contempt for those who have been found. The scribes and Pharisees have had stewardship over the Lord’s treasures but have not cared for them.

The parable of the unjust steward

The parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16) has been a puzzle to me. Some say this parable is about learning to wisely manage temporal things, and that the proper management of temporal things is related to wisely managing spiritual things. While I don’t disagree that learning to manage temporal things can have spiritual benefits, it seems improbable that the Lord would suddenly switch to teaching of the management of earthly treasures here, when his focus has been the recovery of spiritual treasures like lost sheep and prodigal sons. It seems more probable that the Lord would be teaching a lesson about how “righteous” sons (Pharisees) should be treating prodigals (publicans and sinners).

I’m not saying that I understand the parable fully, but thinking about it in context with the preceding chapter, Luke 15, it started making a lot more sense.

This parable is spoken to the disciples rather than the scribes and Pharisees, but the Pharisees were there and listening. I can’t help thinking the message is closely related to the parables in the previous chapter.

Here are my thoughts as I went through the verses:

Bible verse My thoughts
1  And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. If we follow the pattern from the parables of Luke 15, Jesus would be the rich man, and the Pharisees and scribes would collectively be the steward. In the previous parables, the valuable things were the children of God, and the most joy came from repentant sinners. If this parable is still part of the response to the accusing Pharisees and scribes, then it would help to know how the Pharisees had wasted or lost the Lord’s goods. Instead of guarding and gathering them, they had allowed them to stray. Those who returned to the call of the Master were treated with contempt. Who were the accusers?
2  And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. The rich man is going to remove the steward, but he is giving him an opportunity to give an account of what happened. Jesus is the Messiah. He is calling His stewards to account. What have they been doing in his absence? Their position as spiritual leaders is coming to an end. A steward over worldly things would be fearing the loss of his job.
3  Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. The steward has depended on his master for his good living. Without his exalted position the steward is going to be in very humble circumstances. Without help from his master, where will he find a living?

The Law of Moses will soon be fulfilled. The Apostles will take over the stewardship once the Master is gone. What should the scribes and Pharisees be doing to improve their circumstances?

4  I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. The unjust steward decides to create a soft place for himself to land. He must move quickly, but he can improve his own situation by helping others. He can ingratiate himself to them by making their burdens light.

With regard to the scribes and Pharisees, there is still some time to settle affairs before they are brought before the judge to give a full account of their dealings. I am reminded of this verse, in Luke 12:58:
58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

There is still time to “settle out of court” with those they have offended. The scribes and Pharisees should be learning to love their neighbors. They should be gathering souls while they still have a little time. They have been wasters of their Master’s goods, they have done damage, but they can resolve to do better and move forward.

5  So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? The steward moves quickly to collect what is due to his master, he works fast to retrieve what he can.
6  And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. To this one he forgives 50% of the debt. It is a substantial loss, but the portion he receives of his master’s goods are now back where they belong.
7  Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. To another he forgives 20%. More of his master’s goods are returned.
8  And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. Why would the lord commend this behavior? Why would he commend the loss of some of what was owed? Could it be that he didn’t expect to see his goods returned at all? Could it be that he is happy to see the steward working with enthusiasm, even if the motivation is self interest, because it means at least this portion of his goods are coming back? Could it be that the steward is learning that by helping others he helps himself?

My Reina Valera version (Spanish), makes an interesting addition “porque los hijos de este siglo son mas sagaces en el trato con sus semejantes que los hijos de luz”: “the children of this generation are wiser in the treatment of their fellow man than the children of light”. So, it isn’t the treatment of money, but the treatment of people that seems to be emphasized.

Wealth can motivate covetous people to do good things. We see a great number of people providing goods and services, not because they are necessarily concerned with the welfare of their fellow man, but because they are interested in the monetary gains.

Do those of us who covet spiritual rewards work as hard to provide spiritual goods and services to our fellow man in order to secure ourselves a place in the Lord’s kingdom?

This scripture comes to mind:

Revelation 3:15-20
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

9  And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Love thy neighbor as they self. Don’t create enemies needlessly. Show kindness. Treat God’s children with charity. It is not surprising that this parable reminds me of the words in Matthew 25, which deal with the parable of the talents and how our treatment of others is a reflection of how we treat our King.

Matthew 25:40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

10  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. How do we handle responsibility when the stakes are small? Does it have any relation to how we handle bigger responsibilities? In Matthew 25 the Lord commends those who are faithful in small things. they are given responsibility over greater things.
11  If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? If you can’t show regard for the things the Lord loves, how can you expect to be rewarded with more of what the Lord loves?
12  And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? If we can’t be faithful with those goods that matter to our Master, why would He give us a kingdom of our own?
13  ¶No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. The parable speaks of making friends with the mammon of unrighteousness. Making friends of publicans and sinners does not mean forsaking righteousness. It is a quest to find the lost and valuable things that are seeking to be found. If you want the Master’s eternal reward, you must serve Him in earnest. If you haven’t, then start. Make your soft place to land by gathering the Lord’s goods. Love your neighbor and spread the gospel message.
14  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. Matthew 13:13-15
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

15  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The scribes and Pharisees may be experts at twisting the law. They may be able to justify themselves by manipulating the proceedings of an earthly court. They may even be able to fool people into thinking they are righteous men. These skills will bring them no comfort when they stand before God to give an account of their stewardship. They were given charge over the Law of Moses. They were given charge over the people. Yet they they didn’t prepare the people for the Messiah. They squandered the Lord’s goods and focused on this world instead of the next.

The rich man and Lazarus

The story of the rich man and Lazarus follows the parable of the unjust steward and provides more clues to its meaning. The rich man enjoyed great wealth, but he gave no assistance to Lazarus who was a beggar at his gate.

As a “child of this world” the rich man was wise. As a “child of light” he wasn’t. He successfully followed the path of wealth and his investments paid off. But, as a steward of his Father’s goods, he was wasteful. He didn’t use his wealth to rescue lost souls. They were left to suffer and fend for themselves. The rich man, who didn’t see value in lost souls and gave nothing when he had plenty, was suddenly without his wealth and comforts. He was now the beggar, receiving as abundantly as he had given.

The Pharisee and the publican

Further into Luke there is an even clearer explanation of Christ’s message to the Pharisees:

Luke 18:9-14
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Teachers who teach excellence without flinching

From grade school through college I had a lot of teachers. The ones who stand out are those who pushed me beyond my comfort level to achieve something I didn’t think could do. They each turned on a light that illuminated some part of my thinking. The best teachers aren’t always the most popular. My favorite teachers are often those that students consider “mean” because they dare to show students the potential that lies beyond their current levels of achievement.

Jim Glover – typing and drivers-ed teacher
Mr. Glover always comes to mind first when I think of teachers who revolutionized the way I think. I’m pretty sure it was ninth grade that I took his typing class. He stated that everyone would be expected to type 80 word per minute, with no more than 2 mistakes. He also let us know he wouldn’t tolerate any excuses, as there were plenty  of excuses given for why this goal was not possible. He didn’t care if you were a boy or girl. He didn’t care if you had thin or fat fingers. Everyone was going to type 80 wpm, and in case we thought it couldn’t be done with the IBM Selectric typewriters we had on our desks, he pointed to the manual typewriter on his own desk. With his thick fingers he could type over 100 wpm on that machine. He didn’t just declare what he wanted us to do. He was dedicated to the task of helping us reach our goal. He paced around the room, watching our posture, making sure we weren’t looking at the keys. A cardboard “shield of shame” would be placed over the keyboard of anyone who couldn’t resist the temptation to look at the keys. He assured us looking at the keys wasn’t necessary, and it wasn’t. The rigorous exercises and timed tests inched us closer to the goal. Not everyone made it, but most did. I had started the class late and I still ended up with 79wpm and 2 mistakes. I have always thought I would have reached the 80wpm if I had had the entire semester.

Mr. Glover’s method for teaching drivers-ed was novel. He handed out copies of each test, along with the answers. He said he wanted us to know the material so he was going to give us everything we needed to pass the tests. The caveat? In order for an answer to count in a test, we had to write it word-for-word. It had to be perfect. Students grumbled about this, but knew they weren’t going to get anywhere arguing with him. If they worked hard, they got passing scores. They were strongly motivated to drive, and they figured it out.

One student was different, or at least his mother thought so. She didn’t think it was fair that he be held to such a rigorous standard when he wasn’t known for doing well in school. She got the principal involved and the three of them talked it over. The principal asked Mr. Glover if he really thought this this boy was capable of doing the work. Mr. Glover said he knew the boy could do it. They came to an agreement that the mother would help her son study for the tests. It is my understanding that the boy got an ‘A’ in the class.

Mr. Glover was often regarded as a hard-nosed, demanding teacher. I saw him as a man who saw potential that students often did see in themselves. He pushed them realize it even if they weren’t comfortable with his methods. For that he will always stand out as one of my favorite teachers.

Jim Ott – football coach
My senior year I changed schools in order to play football for Kanab High School. For such a small town, Kanab had a reputation for putting together winning football teams year after year. It was a great experience.Coach Hafen, the head coach, was charismatic and popular among the players. Not so popular was Coach Ott, one of the assistant coaches. My first impressions of Coach Ott were not positive. He was cranky and never seemed satisfied with anything we did. Over time, my opinion changed.

Coach Ott was constantly going over the game films, telling us what he had learned from our last game. I started to realize his dedication to the success of our team. I can’t imagine he was getting paid much, yet he would spend his weekends going over films and coming up with strategies to help us win. What I first saw as a disagreeable nature was more likely a frustration with players who couldn’t see their own potential. One of those players was me.

Coach Ott was also my track coach. I was part of the mile relay where 4 of us each ran a 400 meter (440 yard?) stretch of the race. In one of our meets I hadn’t run well and Coach Ott must have thought I was being lazy. He was probably right. He said in the coming week’s practice we would have a “run off” where I would defend my position against anyone who wanted to race me for it. There were several eager takers, but they did not succeed. From that point forward I knew I’d better give a stronger effort.

Near the end of the track season we did very well in the region meet and qualified for State. He said something like, “Ok, now that we’ve qualified, we’re going to make the most of the opportunity”. We practiced hard in the week preceding the state meet. Track practice had always been about running, but Coach Ott now intensified it. We ran 400 meters, then rested, and then ran again. This was repeated over and over and over. None of my previous coaches had ever taken this approach. Our bodies started to respond and our times were improving. My legs weren’t used to that much running and by the state meet I had shin splints that hurt pretty bad. At the same time I was anxious to see what we could do. Coach Ott wrapped up my shins and ankles to help with the pain. If memory serves, I started for our team. Most of the other runners were ahead of me in their staggered starting positions, so until I was coming up the stretch on the far side of the track I didn’t know how I was doing. Apparently I was doing well and the announcer mentioned my name. His words spurred me on.

In the end we took second place in a very close finish. I wanted us to win, but I still came away with a personal victory, I ran my best time ever: 53 seconds. That improvement was because of Coach Ott. Regretfully, it was the last meet of the season and I was a senior. I wouldn’t have another opportunity to find out how much more improvement was possible, at least not in track.

As strange as it might seem, before that moment I had believed that once I was “in shape” my ability was fixed. I hadn’t realized that there are different levels of “in shape”. I hadn’t understood that significant improvement was possible and that latent ability could be coaxed out with hard work and practice. Since that time I have seen it happen repeatedly in life.

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the years since, I have often reflected on Coach Ott with great admiration. He wasn’t blessed with a warm personality, but he did his best to wring the best out of the boys he coached—for their sakes, not his. Most of us were probably ignorant of his motives and oblivious to what we could become. In spite of his cranky demeanor he is the one coach I most remember and admire. He taught me that the most helpful words aren’t always the kindest, and the best teachers aren’t always the most popular.

Robert Beecroft – English teacher
Robert was my freshman English teacher at BYU. He is the person who taught me what I know about writing. I’m not saying I’m a great writer, but I used to be terrible. In high school we spent a lot more time on grammar than we did writing.

When I got my first paper back from Robert I couldn’t believe all the red marks on it. I generally did well in high school classes so this was something new. The words “passive voice” stood out the most. They were all over the paper. He also said to avoid being “wordy”. Over time I saw less red and more kudos, though I can’t remember any of my papers without a mark or two of red.

My favorite memory was when he read one of my papers in class. His class was very difficult, but I loved it.

John Weiss – Design instructor

Graphic design was probably mentioned in high school art classes, but I never took those classes. Consequently, I didn’t know it existed until several years into college. I was at a friend’s apartment and his roommate was working on a big project on the floor. “What is that for?”, I asked. He said it was for his graphic design class. I asked which building it was in and went immediately to find it. In the Brimhall Building I found my people.

I submitted artwork for review and found myself accepted into the Design program. John Wiess was one of my first teachers. Throughout my life I had been drawing constantly, but I had never been taught the principles of design. That as John’s job as the 2D Design teacher. In his class we learned about point, line, shape, color, etc. We learned principles like direction, repetition, and contrast—ways of using elements to create interesting compositions.

My favorite part of his class was critique. He laid down the rules:

  1. You must use the language of design to talk about the artwork.
  2. Instead of general statements like “I like it”, or “I don’t like it”, you must give clear examples of what you like or don’t like.
  3. If you say that something is wrong, you must propose the way to fix it.

As much as he tried to tell us we should let our artwork stand on its own during critiques, there were those who got their feelings hurt. Critiques were brutally honest, and some students couldn’t separate themselves from their artwork. In their mind, an attack on the art was an attack on the artist. John would not tolerate excuses. He would say we needed to act as though we were working with art directors in the real world. If an art director asked for a square composition and we delivered a rectangle, he wouldn’t be calling us again. If an art director needed artwork on a Tuesday morning and we missed the deadline, he wouldn’t be calling us again, regardless of our reasons for being late.

One of our projects was a logo. I remember putting my board up on the wall for critique. John said cryptically, “Well, which is it?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. “What do you mean?”, I asked.

He said, “You have two logos up there. You have a fancy icon and you have rendered the logotype in fancy letters. They are fighting for attention. You need to pick one or the other. If you want to use the fancy icon, choose type that is more plain. If you want to use fancy lettering, get rid of the icon.” I wasn’t offended. A light bulb shone brightly in my head and I could see exactly what he was talking about. That lesson has come in handy many times and in many situations.

I was sorry that more students didn’t see the value in his teachings. Yes, I think he could have taught the same principles without the cryptic, and often sarcastic, language. But, he was still a great teacher, and one that I won’t forget.

Ralph Barksdale – illustration instructor
In the Design department there were two areas of emphasis: design and illustration. All students in the department took the same classes for the first two years, and then they chose their emphasis. I was accepted into the illustration program. Ralph Barksdale took us outside on the first day of class. We walked up to a car and he asked what color the car was. “Red”, someone said. “Which part of it is red?” he asked, and he continued by showing us how the shiny top of the car was reflecting the sky and trees above it. The dominant color may have been red, but the car was dappled in shadows and light. We talked about how the appearance of a color changes depending on the color beside it. His classes were a constant source of amazement for me.

Ralph had a good sense of humor and a very mild manner. Yet, he was very confident when he taught. He wasn’t afraid to demonstrate a principle himself. His lessons on perspective stand out most clearly in my mind. He explained how you can’t do perspective if you don’t know how high the viewer’s eyes are in relation to the horizon. He didn’t teach us with theoretical boxes floating in the air. Our assignment was to take a house, a person, and a car from magazine clippings and arrange them in proper perspective. Everything was falling into place and I realized that perspective was not a guessing game. There was science behind it. There was a right way, and many wrong ways, to do it. My images improved dramatically as a result of his teaching. His passion for illustration was obvious and students loved him. He taught me that not every teacher is passionate, and not every teacher is able to revolutionize your thinking. Seek out the masters, and when you find them, listen.

The value of a good apology

Someone shared this article on Facebook about a teacher who learned how to teach her students to apologize in a meaningful way. I thought it was excellent.

A Better Way to Say Sorry

It reminds me of a time when I got into an argument with my best friend, Scott. I’m guessing we were in 5th or 6th grade at the time. The details of the argument I can’t recall, but I had stormed out of his house, forgetting it was cold outside and that my coat was inside. My pride wouldn’t allow me to go back so I walked home in a huff. As I walked I kept turning the argument over in my mind. How was I going to get my coat back? What if he wouldn’t let me have it? Would there be a fight? So many questions and so much anxiety tore at my mind.

As I walked into my front door the phone was ringing. I picked it up and the most unexpected thing happened. I heard him say, “This is Scott. I’m sorry. You left your coat here. Do you want me to bring it to you?” All of my bad feelings evaporated in an instant. Those simple words, and his willingness  to say them, were all it took for us to be friends again. I had been too insecure to consider the possibility of an apology, so I’m thankful he knew what to do.

Sometimes we want to be friends again, but don’t know how. The lesson I learned is, there is nothing wrong with being the first to say, “I’m sorry”, and the sooner you do it, the sooner you can drop that burden of bad feelings.