Who Are You...Really?

I teach a class through Fresno Pacific University called ET 735-Creating on the Web. This is one of the weekly devotional thoughts for that class.

Week 6: Who Are You... Really?

We have been talking about how we present ourselves to our profession. We should certainly work hard at that. We’ve been talking about all the reasons to do that
However, on the other hand, we should not take that idea so far so that we believe that we truly ARE what we present to others. God sees our heart, and we shouldn't live in a way that is putting on a mask all the time.

Samuel was tasked with choosing the next king of Israel.

The idea that physical appearance mattered a great deal must have been overwhelming.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Our time and culture certainly values physical appearance, but we also work very hard to put our best face forward online. Facebook pages are a person’s highlight reel. We don’t share our blooper clips nearly as readily!

God led Samuel to choose David, who was not physically impressive.

His Facebook page, and his online platform, would not have been very impressive, either, were he to live in our century.

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

Jeremiah‬ ‭17:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This means that you don’t understand my heart, meaning motivations, what drives me, etc.

It also means you don’t totally understand your own heart!

We should live in such a way that we don’t have masks with each other.

More importantly, we shouldn’t pretend that we can successfully hide who we really are from God.

Never Tire of Giving to your PLN

I teach a class through Fresno Pacific University called ET 735-Creating on the Web. This is one of the weekly devotional thoughts for that class.

Week 5: Never tire of giving to your PLN

It was uncanny how the chapters in Whittaker’s (et al) book this week resonated with what we read in Scripture. The authors advise us to not be selfish...to give, give, give... and we will see the results when we need to “take” something from our PLN. Here are a few Scripture references that especially seem to fit:

Luke‬ ‭6:30-31, 34-35, 38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.
Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. ””
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2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:6-11, 13‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.

As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.”
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Galatians‬ ‭6:9-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
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To the original hearers and readers, these verses obviously refer to physical, material possessions. Sharing with the materially poor and needy, etc… However, in 2015, when the information age, the attention economy, and intellectual property dominate the way our culture functions, I believe that this applies to being generous with things we can share via our PLN.

Not Connected / Accepted In Your Home Town?

This summer, I am teaching a class through Fresno Pacific University called ET 735-Creating on the Web. Each week, I will post my devotional thoughts for the week of that class on both Teach 'Em How To Fish and Stretching.

Generally, I'll post here on Stretching about faith, and I'll post on Teach 'Em How To Fish about education. But since this content is truly about the overlap between both topics / conversations, I'll post these to both blogs.

Week 4: Not accepted in your home town (or at your school site)

Luke 4:22-28, NLTEveryone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown. “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.” When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.

There was lots of need in Israel, but God led Elijah to meet the needs of those OUTSIDE of Israel.

You may or may not be respected for your new-found expertise…others on other campuses, districts, states, countries may accept it far easier. Embrace this affirmation and acceptance. thrive within it. You are NOT disrespectful to your school-site colleagues if you do so.

This resonates with page 68 from Whittaker, et al:

She had just finished “wowing” the crowd with a powerful message which demonstrated her expertise and knowledge, providing relevant examples for audience members to learn from and take back to their respective schools. What was interesting was that no one back in her home school had ever seen her present or asked her to share her expertise with educators in her own district, yet here she was on a national stage engaging, inspiring, and empowering a roomful of educators from across the nation who did not know her personally. Here stood this teacher with a tremendously high skill set, valued, respected, and admired by her PLN and non PLN educators, yet ignored and sometimes even knocked down by her own co-workers. Connected educators lean on their PLN during these difficult times to persevere and push through. Making the decision to reach beyond the walls of your own workplace or school community to learn and grow—somewhat ironically, we think—may create feelings of resentment within some of your colleagues.

Have you ever felt this way? Leave a comment below! 

Follow in the Dust of the Rabbi

I teach a class through Fresno Pacific University called ET 735-Creating on the Web. This is one of the weekly devotional thoughts for that class.


Week 3: Follow in the Dust of the Rabbi

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28-30‬ NLT)

When using Twitter, we talk about “followers” or “following” someone.

Many Christians, Believers, etc. use the term “Christ-follower”

That word is worth some discussion...

Jewish society had a very clear path, a clear goal for boys.

Bet Sefer - ages 6-10 - memorize the Torah (the first 5 books; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)

Bet Talmud - age 10-14 - memorize the rest of the OT, all the way to Malachi!

Bet Midrash - about 13-14 - studying to be a rabbi, learning his rabbi's "yoke"

At each stage of this education, the rabbi’s followers were said to even follow the rabbi into the bathroom, so strong was their desire to imitate and learn from them. Their entire purpose was to be exactly like their rabbi, even down to bodily functions. The phrase “the dust of the rabbi’s feet” referred to the rabbi’s followers being so physically close to him, that they would be covered with the dust from the sandy, dusty ground that they walked on.

During the Bet Midrash stage, they would choose a rabbi they wanted to follow, who they wanted to become like. They would learn that particular interpretation of the Scriptures, and the other important writings, and their implication for daily life. This unique thinking, philosophy, and interpretation was called that rabbi’s “yoke”.

But Jesus came and said His yoke was easy. That He isn't about endless lists of rules and regulations (Matthew 11). When Jesus is speaking, He's not just picking words out of the air; He's speaking as a Rabbi would.

If the boy was a good enough student, the rabbi would accept them as a protegé. Many did not make the cut, though.

Jesus was a rabbi.

He chose not the best of the best of the best, as other rabbis did. He chose those that didn't make the cut. That's why they were fishing, instead of studying under a rabbi. Why did Jesus choose these guys? Because He believed they could become like Him.

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. (‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭18-22‬ NLT)

So, the words “follow” and “followers” have a very significant meaning in Jewish culture, and in the New Testament.

This brings me to an observation about Google+. There are “circles” on Google+. In our spiritual walk, we need each other. We need to not just go to church and sit in rows and look at the back of someone’s head. We need to get in circles and hold each other accountable, encourage each other, and such.

Whether we’re using Twitter, Google+, or other social media sites where we are trying to build our PLN (or make other connections), one thing is clear:

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 13:20

Aim high in how you present yourself

I teach a class through Fresno Pacific University called ET 735-Creating on the Web. This is one of the weekly devotional thoughts for that class.

Week 2: Be clear about who you are, and what you have to offer

The disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus who he was, and Jesus told them to report back what they had seen and heard:

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Matthew 11:2-6 NIV)

Jesus had a clear demonstration of who he was and what he had to offer. What he said about himself is certainly a topic worthy of lots of time and focus. In this passage, though, he points to his actions, and the results of his actions.

We want our online presence to be accessible, organized, and professional-looking. We can tell people all day long that we are organized and professional, but if our online presence does not reflect that, then our potential audience will not believe it, and won't stick around for long.

For our online presence to attract the kind of rich conversation and high-quality educational professionals that we would like to have in our PLN, we need to think very strategically about how we present ourselves online.

Who you are will be clear by what you do and share.