So, another very eventful couple of weeks have come and gone...
As you all read about last time, I received my rejection letter from Tuscaloosa County High...
Shortly afterward, I dropped my resume by Brookwood High School - another high school in Tuscaloosa County. Less than 30 minutes after we left the school, I received a phone call from the head coach asking me to come by and meet with a couple of the coaches and the principal.
The meeting/interview went extremely well, and I received a call from the principal, Mrs. McBride the following day (Wednesday) asking me if I would be interested in accepting the job. Of course, I didn't hesitate in accepting the position.
The really cool thing about the way it went down was that it all sorta came out of nowhere. When the job was initially posted online, I wasn't sure whether or not I should waste more of my time by driving all the way to Brookwood (about an hour from our house in Elrod, AL) just to drop off a resume and hope for a phone call or a chance to interview. Whitney and I finally decided that it wouldn't hurt. After all, we had been praying for months for God to open and shut the doors that he wanted in order for His will to be done. How would we know what doors were open or closed by Him if we didn't at least push on them to see if they would budge?
It turns out that the head football coach, Coach Bush, had spoken to a friend of his who was an assistant coach during my time at TCHS and is now a local head coach. Thankfully, he thought highly enough of me to bring my name up when Coach Bush asked if he knew anyone that would be interested in teaching history and coaching the offensive line. According to Coach Bush, he had been waiting for me to get my application to the school for almost 2 weeks. Wow.
This brings me back to a sermon topic that Dr. John Kearns spoke about several weeks ago. He talked about how often times God doesn't give us the huge spotlight to see where we'll be down the road... but He gives us a flashlight so we can see the next step. We both felt like this was exactly what happened. We were forced to trust in the fact that God would provide us with the next step to take and that we would be faithful enough to take it.
We will be moving from Elrod, AL to Tuscaloosa, AL during the first week of August, and I will be helping with football workouts/drills between now and then. My first official day as a Social Studies teacher at Brookwood High School will be August 5th. Needless to say, I'm pumped!
The second big event of the last couple of weeks came this past week when the youth at Christ Harbor UMC, Big Sandy Baptist, and Temple Baptist took our annual trip to the Big Oak Girls Ranch and Big Oak Boys Ranch.
These ranches were started by former Bama football player John Croyle (father of Brodie) as a place for kids who had been basically abandoned by their families - at no fault of their own - to come and live. The kids and house parents are provided everything they need, and they work to earn money for anything else they want.
Each summer, we go up and do whatever work needs to be done at the ranches that would be too big of a job for just a few people to do. In previous years we have painted and repaired horse fences, cleared woods, built and torn down barns and sheds, build decks, landscaped, etc... We usually work from around 8AM to 2:30 or 3:00PM.
During the evenings, we get together and have an awesome time of praise and worship. For the last several years, we have been blessed by having former Alabama fullback and member of the 1992 National Championship team Martin Houston as our speaker. In the 6 or so years that I've heard him speak during the 4 nights of this trip, I've never heard a boring sermon.
Another constant about this trip is that the lives of the students that go to Big Oak with us are always changed for the better. My first real experience with God was in a barn at the end of a Big Oak Ranch trip, and I have not been the same since.
Martin's message was a little different this year than what it has been in the past. This year, he talked about being "Heroes of the faith" and being "Sold out, not a sell out". He spent less time on the topic of salvation, and a whole lot more time on the subject of living our lives as sold out followers of Jesus instead of selling out and falling back in the same old routine.
His scripture theme of the week was 2 Chronicles 7:14 -
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land."
He talked a lot about how it is our job as Christians to humble OURSELVES, turn from OUR wicked ways, and to seek His face and pray... and then - and only then - will God forgive us and heal our land.
We put so much faith into a president or political party - and we often forget that this was never the way it was intended to be. It's not up to the government to "fix our country". It's not their job to turn from their wicked ways and to humble themselves. It's us, the followers of Christ, who are called to be set apart and to humble ourselves to acknowledge our own mistakes and to seek God's face and pray. If that happens, then it doesn't matter who is President or what political party is in charge... God promises us that He will heal our land and forgive our sins if we do those things - regardless of what the Government does.
It starts with US obeying God's word and trusting that He will fulfill His promises to us.
Do you want to win your school for Christ? Take the initiative and make it happen. There is no law preventing students from gathering at school to pray before school, between classes, or after school.
Do you want your workplace to be a Godly environment? It's not your boss' job to make it happen.
Do you want God's favor for America? Then it's time to humble ourselves, pray and seek God's face, and turn from our wicked ways (repent).
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