ExpressYourself4Him

Video of the Day: Clip from the 2002 movie “The Rookie”

Bible Verse of the Day:

 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. ⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house, Luke 10:1-7.

Biblical Connection:

Science teacher and high school baseball coach Jim Morris challenges his players to reach their full potential. The players in return make a similar offer, “if we win the championship, it’s your turn to try out for a big-league club.” Following his team’s accomplishment, Jim goes to a local tryout to honor the promise he made to his team. The rest of this true story is like a Hollywood ending.

As a former baseball coach, I understand how eager bench players are itching to get into a game. While Jesus called 12 men to become his disciples, another 72 were appointed to spread the Gospel message, John 3:16-17. Although Luke’s account of their accomplishments is limited, it’s not too far to imagine that some of these men would become key leaders within the first century church.

Closing Song:

Today’s featured passage is one of the best to illustrate the concept of keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:25. Whether you’re young like Coach Morris’ players or getting up there in age, let Jesus take the wheel as it’s your turn to take a leap of faith.

by Jay Mankus

Video of the Day: Clip from the 2017 movie “Cars 3”

Bible Verse of the Day:

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,^[a] but they tried to kill him. ³⁰ When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus, Acts 9:26-30.

Biblical Connection:

Lightning McQueen’s character in the Cars movies is similar to many self-centered Americans who are caught up in their own personal drive for success. In Cars 1, Lightning was only concerned with winning, forcing his 18-wheeler to drive through the night. Yet, when McQueen was stranded in Radiator Springs, Doc Hudson eventually became his mentor. Doc poured his heart and soul into McQueen, helping him avoid the same mistakes that Doc made as a famous race car.

As a zealous Pharisee who gave the order to have the apostle Stephen killed, none of Jesus’ disciples trusted Saul following his conversion in Acts 9. After changing his name to Paul, this newly ordained apostle went on to write 14 epistles and helped plant numerous churches in the first century. Yet, none of this would have occurred if Barnabas didn’t mentor Saul. Barnabas saw Saul’s full potential, defended him and discipled him until his first missionary journey in Acts 13.

Closing Song:

Today’s scene from Cars 3 illustrates how Doc Hudson gave himself away to become a mentor to Lightning McQueen. When mature Christians make the lyrics of today’s song their daily prayer, lives will be changed when you take the time to invest in the lives of others.

by Jay Mankus

Video of the Day: Clip from the 1989 movie “Dead Poets Society”

Bible Verse of the Day:

You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. ² We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. ³ For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. ⁴ On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-4.

Biblical Connection:

As a former educator, I’m a big proponent of Benjamin Bloom, the creator of Bloom’s Taxonomy. As John Keating begins his poetry, class .students are introduced to Bloom’s framework for educational thinking. Students shouldn’t just write down and memorize the words of a PhD. Rather, Keating wants each student to develop their own theory on how to evaluate poetry.

Following a supernatural encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus in Acts 9, Saul would change his name to Paul. As a Jewish child trained to become a Pharisee, Saul was a stickler for Old Testament law. However, the Holy Spirit taught the apostle Paul to trust God and not religious leaders. Like Mr. Keating’s students ripping out pages of poetry, Paul was forced to re-evaluate his own life by getting rid of man-made beliefs that stood opposed to God.

Closing Song:

While I’ve never experienced a teacher telling me to rip out the pages of a textbook on the first week of class, I did have a college class where my professor handed out a fake syllabus. At the beginning of the second class, the real syllabus was passed out, making sure only those students who wanted to take this higher-level class remained. Although going against the grain will leave many people unhappy, the goal of a Christian is to try to please the Lord daily.

by Jay Mankus

Video of the Day: Clip from the 1986 movie “Back to School”

Bible Verse of the Day:

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish,’ Luke 14:28-30.

Biblical Connection:

There is a big difference between book knowledge and street knowledge, being part of a specific business or industry. One of the college classes I took was Economic Geography. Rather than rush into building a business, each student began with acres of land to farm with each subsequent task increasing in complexity. The professor in today’s clip was so focused on his own curriculum that he failed to consider modern day changes in business theory.

Earlier on in the Gospel of Luke, chapters 9 and 10, Jesus mentions an additional 72 disciples that were sent out to assist in His earthly ministry. Meanwhile, Jesus provides examples of individuals who are not fit to serve as disciples based upon common excuses each made. Whether you are a professor or part of a business, dealing with criticism is part of life. As a new manager, every day is a learning process, taking in new information. As long as you consider the costs, you’ll learn through trial and error to handle future criticism.

Closing Song:

Instead of acting like you’ve arrived like this college professor, remain teachable and open to the ideas of others. While some ideas have been tried and failed in the past, if the timing is right you’ll win the respect of others while properly dealing with criticism.

by Jay Mankus

Video of the Day: Clip from the 1995 movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus”

Bible Verse of the Day:

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter^[g]), John 1:35-42.

Biblical Connection:

Back when I was in high school, Music Theory was known as a blowoff class. Checking with your guidance counselor before the previous year ended, Music Theory was a popular option for students who wanted an easy A without doing much at all in class. Subsequently, when Mr. Holland greets and begins teaching his first class of the year, students are caught off guard by Mr. Holland’s intensity and passion for music.

As John the Baptist begins to wrap up his earthly ministry on repentance, John introduces his disciples to Jesus. Like the students sitting in Mr. Holland’s Music Theory class, some of John’s disciples were likely surprised, expecting to remain with John the Baptist. For any teacher, part of passing on knowledge involves getting to know your students. On the first day of class, unless there is an instant connection, teaching is much harder than it looks.

Closing Song:

Twelve first century Jews were called by Jesus because they were eagerly waiting for the promised Messiah of the Old Testament to arrive. This anticipation is missing from most classrooms in America. When students develop a hunger and thirst for learning, they become like sponges. Yet, for now, teaching remains more harder than it appears.

by Jay Mankus