Ecclesiates 3:1-14 and Culminating Events

Greetings family and friends!

As always, the outer life (that most people see or are aware of) is colliding (as it often does and should) with the inner life (one's most intimate thoughts, feelings). My outer life for the month of May and into June will involve many culminating events as a teacher and as a parent.......**banquets for PTA and instrumental music boosters, **praying and voting for Issue 1, the Akron Public Schools levy to pass,** an Eagle Scout award presentation for a good family friend, **a talent show at my school, **my niece's high school graduation and celebration party, **final band concert for daughter Lindsey,**getting all Bethany's stuff returned from UA dorm room,**not to mention final grades for 400 students......Other than that, life will be slow and easy. (HA!)

OK, so how does all that stuff collide with the inner life? Well, I was asked to do a short inpiration/invocation for the Garfield PTA banquet. It's going to be from Ecclesiastes 3 about a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven......including the celebrations of culminating events where people are honored for their labors and honored for their character.
As I will read through all of Ecc. 3:1-14, I'll end with the gist of verse 14..........God has done all these seasons for everyone SO THAT MEN WILL REVERE HIM. It's not just all about frenzied activity for the sake of being and looking busy. It's so we will honor God. And how do we do that? Well, that's another post with LOTS of different outer ways springing forth from what Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 22:37-40: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

How does one love the sinner, yet hate the sin?

I'll cut to the chase here.................My brother, Jamie, age 46, is in the middle of divorcing my sister-in-law, Kim.............and I am actually OK with this. How can this be, you say, since God hates divorce? Well, I believe He also hates alcoholism that destroys marriage, family, self, etc. Kim is an alcoholic, but will not and has not ever admitted to this. Her third DUI will be netting some jail time soon for a couple of months. There are two kids in the family, a senior girl in high school----E, and her brother, my nephew, J, a sophomore. There have been many past years of counseling, half-way houses, de-tox, re-hab, and police coming to take a drunken Kim to the hospital, and then much more of the same for many, many years. There is a restraining order for Kim not to enter her home due to the drunkeness.

I asked Jamie if he wanted me to visit her and give her any personal hygiene items or food, whatever (never $ because that would end up being used for booze) to help her out. He said no because she would either be drunk or would rant and rave about how lousy Jamie was for divorcing her. The kids are also in total agreement with the divorce since they have also been so affected by her awful alcoholic binges.

So, I pray for all of them........for Kim to know Lord and peace/sanity for Jamie and kids.
Alcoholism then even affects the extended family and beyond. This is so very sad. Their marriage is currently the total antithesis of what God intended a marriage to be.

Anybody reading this, please pray right now for these four people. I thank you.

Good Friday and Birthday #48

Greetings!

How fitting it is that I should finish a little book TODAY that I have never read until now. The last few chapters of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by Clive Staples Lewis have now been read and absorbed. How fitting indeed. Tonight..........Messiah selections at The Chapel. Just where my desires are for this 48th birthday.....praising Him through song with family at home afterwards. Thank you Lord for Your many, many, many blessings!

Music Madness in April

Hello Tucker children that I birthed many years ago AND whoever else is reading this!
Greetings and salutations!

Continuing the Outer/Inner Life world and how they are intertwined................

Outer Stuff: Lots of music this month......(Duh....I do teach music at an elementary school.) But, more than the usual now that Spring Break is over. April 1---Jason and Angie's wedding.....of course, lots of good worship music during the ceremony and even Brown Eyed Girl from Jason to Angie and the reception....lots of music and even COWBELL on "Don't Fear the Reaper." Yeah! April 2----singing at Arlington, a pre-dominantly black church. Gospel music rocks!! it gets loud alot though, so variety is it for me with music. April 3---722 rehearsal, lovely vocal jazz. April 4----My 70 third graders sang at the all-city choir concert. They sang wonderfully and even behaved well, too.........Threats of loss of recess in combination with rehearsal and PRAYER work! April 5----Linds played flute at the GHS Cluster concert, selections from Wicked.....you missed it B!! Pete played bassoon and sax at Chapel reheasal for Good Friday. April 6-----More COWBELL at the GHS Reverse Raffle. April 7---Three and 1/2 hours of students auditioning for the Talent Show.......Gee, I am finding out how popular High School Musical is with the kids!! Basically, my principal played Simon Cowell, I was Paula Abdul and another parent was Randy Jackson, even though she was a white lady and not a black guy. I got to say, "You're going to Hollywood" to most of the kids. April 14-----will be selections from Handel's Messiah at the Good Friday service. Greatly looking forward to singing alto for Jesus then with the Chapel Choir. Handel rocks!! I think it's a good thing I like music and especially music that lifts up the Lord!

Inner Stuff: A parent of a third grade student really let me have it quite verbally just shortly before the concert on April 4. She was quite upset that she knew nothing about this concert before that day. I explained about having sent out FOUR letters of explanation and reminder and that it was impossible for me to phone 70 parents, so I depended on the kids to bring home important papers to their parents. The student admitted that she only gave one notice to her mom and that was the day of the concert. The next day the counselor at school told me that she and others in-the-know are pretty sure that this mom is unable to read and has been arrested for abusing her spouse. Wow! Who is the parent here? Where and what is this young third grader learning about life? How can I help her?----- love, consistency, and role modeling at school since it isn't happening at home. These situations break my heart. How much more do they greive the heart of God? Lord, please help these kids that have parents that can not or will not help them. Please help the parents and students see their need for you and search You out. Lord, Help.