Oct 24, 2007 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2007. All rights reserved.
The name of my birth state in The Christian Science Monitor headline grabbed my attention — “Georgia may OK Bible as textbook.”
The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, with headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., reported the Bible is already being referenced in as many as 1,000 American high school courses of study. The U.S. Supreme Court has long allowed the Bible to be utilized in public education as long as it is presented objectively.
A spokesman for the Georgia bill’s sponsor said there are misconceptions regarding the bill. He said that the proposed bill would use the Bible as a primary text to teach a course in history and to teach literature influenced by the Bible.
A recent conversation with a high school English and world history teacher of 20 years revealed that using the Bible in the classroom is hardly a new idea. She, and many others, have used Bible passages, stories and historical characters to teach history and to help students understand literary allusions — a natural thing to do, since much of American and English literature has been heavily influenced by biblical references to stories, writing style and language, as well as by allusions to lines in the Bible.
The current question seems to be whether public school curriculum decisions — in this instance, approving the Bible as a textbook for a course of study — should be made by state legislatures or individual school districts.
I do love thinking of the Bible as a textbook, a term I think fits it well.
Mary Baker Eddy, author of “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” spent years studying the Scriptures before writing her primary work. Her writings make many references to the Bible, describing it as “her sole teacher,” as “the chart of life,” as her “only authority,” as her “guide” — and, yes, as her “textbook.”
The Bible has long been my textbook, a reference book I’ve searched to find answers to countless life questions and problems. Granted, my use of the Bible as a textbook goes well beyond classroom perusal and comparison.
In her chapter on “Christian Science Practice,” Mary Baker Eddy writes, “The Bible contains the recipe for all healing.” I’ve always found this to be so.
A few years ago the company I worked for did an exercise in which each manager was to pick a Bible character and discuss his leadership and management qualities and skills. I chose Nehemiah.
I was impressed with his vision for rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall. He illustrated tact when he made his request to the king to be sent to Judah. He showed good organizational skills and attention to detail as he collected everything needed for his journey and goal.
Throughout his work, there were times when he needed to pause and go to God in prayer to seek guidance, direction, wisdom. In this way he kept his own ego in check.
He had great people skills. He inspired people working with him to feel united with a common goal. To feel empowered. To understand the importance of cooperation. He was frank and forthright when needed, while also patient with people’s fears and discouragement.
He wasn’t a time waster, but a man of action. He had a “let’s do it” attitude. Not impressed by gossip, criticism or doubt, he stayed on task and focused.
Nehemiah’s example of trust, faith, courage, persistence and purpose made the people working with him rally to do what was needed to accomplish the shared goal.
In my job, this turned out to be a great exercise, and I think all who participated in the exercise learned much on how to improve their management skills. I felt like I did. The Bible was a management textbook that day.
Whether the Bible is used in public education or not certainly doesn’t keep parents and students, businesses — anyone — from using it as a textbook, a guide, a manual, a workbook and an exercise book for their lives.
The Bible is the oldest textbook I own. It remains at the top of my recommended reading list.
Oct 24, 2007 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2007. All rights reserved.
You might wonder how remodeling a house could lead to spiritual insights about life. I was surprised myself at the unexpected twist.
I waited years to remodel our master bedroom. Something was always coming up that demanded our time, attention and money — and we kept putting the remodeling on the backburner. But finally the day arrived and the project was underway.
One special aspect of the master bathroom was a mural surrounding our new tub — painted by a friend, who is a phenomenal artist.
Since my favorite view is of the ocean, my friend created a scene so that when I soaked in the tub I could imagine myself by the water’s edge — with waves crashing, palm trees swaying, sandpipers standing at attention on the sand, and seagulls flying overhead.
A surprise in this seaside picture was an island on the horizon. When I praised my friend’s work, she told me she had not initially planned to paint the island. She had made a mistake with her brush, and in trying to determine how best to correct it, she turned her mistake into an island. It was the perfect addition to an already awe-inspiring painting. Truly, a masterpiece. A glimpse of God’s creation with every detail in its perfect place.
Lately, as I look at her mistake, I realize that I can’t even imagine the scene without it. And this has caused me to reflect on mistakes I’ve made in my life. I’ve wondered what my life would be today without those mistakes.
My most vivid memory of a life-altering mistake was when I was placed on academic suspension from college my freshmen year. Not that the suspension was a mistake but rather the result of my poor study skills and more time spent in social activities than in classes.
For a while, I was devastated and depressed. I was forced to leave my new friends and a new boyfriend and to leave my new home and return to my parent’s home. I didn’t know what to do with my life.
Not long after going back to live with my parents, I received an encouraging letter from my college advisor. She explained that the word “suspend” also meant to “uphold by invisible support.” I could know I was also being supported by the school’s hopes and expectation of my return. I appreciated this definition, as it began to shift my viewpoint from self-pity to looking forward.
I also struggled with guilt. I realized I had made many mistakes in judgment that led to my current plight. I felt horrible. I felt I had let my parents down. Although they were compassionate toward me, I knew they had to be disappointed in me. I know I was.
I felt like I was floundering at the beginning of my adulthood. In search of solutions and encouragement, I turned to the Scriptures and the various writings of Mary Baker Eddy. These resources had supported my prayers in the past. Surely, there would be answers now.
I started keeping a journal. As I studied, prayed, pondered and listened, I wrote in my journal. Quotes. Insights. Questions. Inspirations. Ideas. I also spent time with my parents — praying, reading and reasoning together. Something I had not done in a long time. We had wonderful discussions. I felt blessed for the time we were sharing together.
It was the inspiring ideas in a column titled “Improve your time” by Eddy that changed my point of view from inadequacy and failure to the woman of God’s creating — a woman possessing the ability and talents needed to be successful. She wrote about how to achieve success in one’s life with persistent effort and the improvement of moments — how to stop wasting time and move from indecision about what to do. She said, “If one would be successful in the future, let him make the most of the present.”
Leaving past mistakes behind me, I focused on present possibilities. Soon, a job opportunity presented itself. One that taught me much about unselfish care for others’ needs. I enrolled in a community college, where I took several remedial classes and workshops to improve my reading and writing skills. And I continued to cherish time with my parents.
A few months later, I returned to my home college. Three years later, I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree with the senior class award for “progress.”
Life-changing lessons were learned from the mistakes of my freshmen year. And time spent with my step-dad during those months became all the more precious to me when he passed on shortly after I returned to college. I then saw my time home as a gift. A gift I might not have had without those mistakes that sent me home.
No, I don’t think I can imagine my life today without any of my past mistakes.
Learning from our mistakes, growing wiser because of them, we progress into the masterpiece of God’s beholding. His eternal and constant view of His beloved children — strong, intelligent, loving, healthy. . . good.
Oct 24, 2006 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2006. All rights reserved.
There I sat… in my sand chair, on the beach of my dreams, relishing the ocean surf and air, reading my magazine, away from phone and computer. Little did I suspect I was soon to read a story that would lead me to question my outlook for the future.
Why is it that a near-death experience often leads to a dramatic change of course in an individual’s life?
The story that suddenly captured my attention was about a couple’s change in their life’s trajectory. They were in the eighth year of their five-year plan to accomplish their dream of a life at sea. After the wife had what was described as a serious health scare, they asked the question, “What were they waiting for?” They answered by putting lucrative careers on hold and selling everything that wouldn’t fit on their sailboat. Thus began their change of course.
The first thing that hit me was that I didn’t have a five-year plan or a ten-year plan or any plan at all for the rest of my life. I had reached middle age without making new goals or imagining new dreams. Somewhere along the way, I had stopped envisioning or planning for the future.
After reading this couple’s story, I asked myself what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I reasoned that I was comfortable, content and satisfied. Honestly, a future of senior years was a path I wasn’t anxious to travel, so I had started to focus only on making the most of present moments and had decided to let the future take care of itself.
Certainly my husband and I talk about places we want to see and things we want to do… one of these days. But we didn’t have specific dates in mind for these dreams. I was now beginning to wonder if our dreams would ever be reached or experienced without setting tangible and realistic goals.
Looking back at my life, I recalled how it felt to want to make a change and not know where to go or how to begin. I remembered the frustration and unhappiness caused by indecision. And I thought about the lessons learned from these times — that a proactive and definitive approach was needed to make progress instead of a vague proposal that tends to keep one in idle, doing nothing, going nowhere.
I wanted to change my view as well as my course for the future. As I sat in my sand chair gazing upon the vast ocean scene before my eyes, I contemplated the infinity of life. I was reminded of an elderly friend of a friend. This dear man was in the midst of remodeling his home, even though he was approaching the century mark of his life journey. My friend asked him why he was remodeling his house at this point of his life. And he replied, “I take my concept of home with me into eternity.” And he further explained how he must always be perfecting, improving, moving forward — setting goals and going about achieving the goals.
If you’re a country music fan like I am, you’ve no doubt heard Tim McGraw’s hit song released a couple of years ago: “Live like you were dying.” The song encourages listeners to live “like tomorrow was a gift” and make the most of the present. The song asks, “You got eternity to think about what you do with it — what should you do with it?”
I realized my view of the future had become clouded by fear and dread. I had lost the zeal and joy for the future that I had felt in my youth.
So, I’m changing my course and singing a new song: “Live like life’s eternal.” To me, this means believing, knowing and expecting infinite possibilities of what I may do next in my life. Tim’s song suggests bull-riding. Well… maybe not.
But I’m being impelled to ponder my future with a new sense of enthusiasm and anticipation. Reshaping my view of the future by a life that is eternal is wiping out fear of age and tribulations, erasing limitations, encouraging goal setting and an expectation of obtaining new dreams.
Oct 17, 2006 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2006. All rights reserved.
Icy weather that kept me inside during the football play-offs created an unexpected writing experience. Watching these championship games leading up, as my husband says, to the defining moment in any football team’s season — the Super Bowl — has prompted me to review defining moments in my own life.
What makes defining moments? I think they are moments, sometimes major events, always memorable occurrences, that cause me to think in terms of “before” and “after.” They are the moments that define and redefine who I am. They are the moments that stand out — some positive, some not so grand. But they are the moments that have raised my awareness and helped me discover the truth of who I am and my life purpose.
This process began with me making a list of what I think of as the major events in my life to date. I suspect some on my list are not so unlike many of yours, including such occasions as meeting my husband and having a baby. These might be characterized as two of the greatest “touchdowns” of my life.
Then, there are the more challenging events, which for me include my dad’s passing when I was 10 years old; a homeless journey with my mom that landed us in Texas; my suspension from college. Some experiences are a mixture of happy and sad, such as the day my daughter (my only child) left for college and the day she got married. These events could be translated into a collection of tackles and sacks with a few injuries, dropped balls and penalties, as well as some unforgettable third-down conversions.
While my life appears to be the sum of four quarters of play action, these in and of themselves do not define my life. I realize that it’s been the way I’ve responded to each big and small play that delineates who I am.
It seems the secret, or at least one key ingredient, to being a good quarterback is how well I respond when forced out of my comfort zone. This is when the “pass rush” comes toward me, and I may feel I have no control. Do I get out of my comfort zone and make the essential play, or do I stay and take the sack and perhaps even fumble the ball?
There are times when I’ve wondered how to gain the skills to perfect my game, especially when the needed response would have me going outside the secure walls I’ve built for myself. Since I was introduced to the teachings of Christian Science — another defining moment in my life — I’ve been learning that I actually have all I need right now as a beloved child of God. I need only respond using my God-given abilities. The Bible tells me, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). These words remind me that God is always giving me everything I need to reach crowning achievements in my game of life. And when I have any doubts, I am assured, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8). When I’m confused or unsure how to respond to whatever I’m facing, I can turn to God — what I know about God’s ever-presence, goodness and love — and I will feel the divine leading and guiding me.
Life isn’t just about the big plays, touchdowns and field goals. I’ve discovered many defining moments are those precious memories that happen in between the major events. So my next list was a list of memories that stand out, many that I now see taught me valuable life lessons.
One example among many is my earliest recollection, when I was nearly 4 years old. I recall the delight I felt in running up and down what seemed to me was a “huge hill” in the hallway of our house. I suspect it was some unleveled floor, as we lived in a very old house. But to a toddler, it was a hill that gave me much happiness. This dear reminiscence teaches me to remember the joy God promises in each moment and to respond with rejoicing as I run up and down the life-hills that I may face.
Needless to say, my memories list is a few pages longer than my major event list. This tells me that life truly is more about the moments — each individual moment, not just the grandiose events. Yes, watching the football play-offs this year has reminded me of the importance of staying present with my life so that I recognize and cherish all of the not-to-be-forgotten moments that teach me grand life-lessons.
May you and I reflect upon all the defining moments of our lives and be able to conclude, “I was there, I lived and breathed and played the game. I learned and I loved, I laughed and I cried, and I danced. Life is good.”
Oct 17, 2006 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2006. All rights reserved.
It often ranks as the most watched show on television, with millions, perhaps billions, of loyal fans tuning in each week. A television reality series, a talent show, it has exploded into a full-fledged pop culture phenomenon. I suspect you’ve guessed by now I’m referring to “American Idol.”
If you’re one of the few who has never watched “American Idol,” I’ll clue you in. It’s a singing competition that had its debut in 2002. Part of the “Idol” franchise, it originated from the UK reality program “Pop Idol.” The goal? To discover the best young singer in the country.
The program begins with a series of nationwide auditions before three judges. The latter stages of the competition are wholly determined by public voting. At that point, the show is not just a singing competition but also a voting contest. In other words, each week Americans elect their favorite singers, and each week the contestant with the fewest votes goes home.
By the time Americans vote, the stage has been set by the judges, who select the best of the best. While all the singers are talented in their own style and genre, Americans literally vote their preference. And clearly, we pick our “Idol” based on a variety of reasons — not just on talent. But then again, who is the most talented is really dependent on the listeners’ subjective tastes. Undoubtedly, not all will agree on who is the most talented or who should win the competition.
But in my opinion, winning “American Idol” is not what the program is all about. Yes, I’m a fan. And yes, I spend two hours each week dialing and redialing with my votes. I love supporting young people who are going for their dreams. And I love the idea of giving any young person in the country the opportunity to shine. And shine they do on “American Idol.”
For the past three years, “American Idol” has landed the No. 1 spot for kids aged 6 to 17. For me, this is also reason to celebrate and support this program. I would much prefer our country’s youth to be inspired by watching other young people strive to fulfill their dream than watching crude humor or violent programming. So, even if my personal favorite doesn’t win the competition, I will always remain a fan of the show.
Take note, graduates of the Class of 2007! There are lessons to be learned from “American Idol” contestants — not only from watching them during the show but also from seeing what many accomplish after the show concludes.
The “American Idol” contestants are daring to believe that anything is possible. It’s inspiring to watch their faith put into action week after week, in spite of ridicule and criticism. I’ve been even more inspired to watch contestants after the show. Many who were not the “winners” have continued to pursue and achieve their dreams, some with even greater success than those who actually won the competition. “American Idol” is more about an opportunity than anything else. And in this life of ours, we will have many opportunities and many possible doors to walk through to get where we want to go.
To the young graduate, the future may seem so big and vast that it may be daunting to know where to begin or which door to open first. I’m always encouraged by the example of the young shepherd boy David as he took on and, in fact, conquered the giant soldier Goliath in battle. David wasn’t tentative as he approached his fierce competitor. He ran to meet him! (1 Samuel 17:48) And that is my point.
How did young David have the confidence and fortitude to run to meet his formidable foe? No doubt, his faith was based upon his knowledge that God was directing and empowering his every step. He understood that his aims and ambitions were impelled by a divine purpose. And while, throughout the course of David’s life, that purpose took him down many different paths, he remained receptive, willing and ready for whatever God provided and wherever God guided him.
We must never stop running to reach our goals, regardless of failures, setbacks or even our age. Nor should we allow fear of failure to slow us down. Goals are not reached if we don’t keep moving toward them. Faith and willingness to go where God leads us increase our ability to see the many opportunities before us. There is no one last chance to accomplish a dream — unless we make it so. If one opportunity doesn’t pan out the way we think we want it to, like “Idol” contestants who didn’t win, we can move on to the next opportunity and achieve success through other doors.
So, to graduates and “American Idol” contestants, I say opportunities are infinite. Never give up. Keep your faith strong. Don’t let anything or any one opinion lessen your faith. Keep running toward your dreams and goals. God only wants good for His children, so stay open for an adventure you never imagined. God’s plan for you is bigger and grander than your own!
