Jesus Master Teacher

Not long ago, I heard that Jesus is a model teacher: He uses a variety of methods to get his point across: lecture, object lessons, parables, etc. Some times I know when I think of Jesus teaching, I think in past tense. Jesus taught the disciples. But the reality is that He is Teacher. He is still teachING today. Do we hear him? Do we see Him? Are we going to pass His test? The amazing thing is His passing rate is 100%. If we are His, we will pass the test…eventually. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful, for He cannot disown Himself (2 Tim 2:13). He is constantly teaching, disciplining, and refining His sons and daughters, sanctifying us by His grace. What was begun in grace, is perfected (or brought to completion) by grace. Our end, that leaves, as Chandler coined the phrase: “grace-driven effort”. And what He began in us, He will bring to completion (Phil 1:6). So take heart my friends, we are all works in progress!

Okay, enough of an intro. It has been quite some time since I have posted anything, but I was encouraged by a dear friend to write about some of the things the Lord is teaching me through recent circumstances, so here it goes. As most of you know, I am a Math person, so bear with me as writing is not really my strong suit.

To help you understand my state of mind, I want to set the stage by filling you in on the latest details of my life. In June, I started grad school. I am pursuing a Masters in Mathematics through Texas A&M (whoop!) University, and it is completely distance based, which means every class is online. This, like most things in life, has its advantages and disadvantages, but let’s just say I have questioned this decision nearly every day since I began this program. Teaching yourself graduate Mathematics courses is far from easy. I could write a whole other post on the things the Lord has taught me through grad school thus far, but in an attempt to stay on topic, I will continue. For one of my grad school classes, I had to have a computer, make a website, etc and to make a long story short, one thing after another kept breaking on my Mac. I visited the Apple store 7 times (no exaggeration) in the span of 2 weeks, and frustration was building. This summer was hard. I saw in myself a complaining spirit, and I hate that. As a result of this grumbling, I, like the Israelites, found myself in the wilderness. As summer ended, and school began, I was hopeful. Full of HOPE. I love when the Lord lays a word on my heart to seg-way into a new season.

The first week brought 160 new faces and names and stories and people to love, and a since of purpose, which was helpful because it took my eyes off of myself, and my grad school problems. I was so excited to end the first week of school. I got in my car on Friday morning, turned the car key and nothing. “Hmmm”, I thought to myself. “This cannot be the battery because I have experience with that.” I knew it was something more major. So, I prayed, and then called my Dad to come rescue me. Thankfully, he drove over at 6:15 in the morning to take me to school and said he would look at my car later. He sent his mechanic friend to my house that evening. After many tests, he told me that I would need to have my car towed in Saturday morning.

The car was at the shop from Saturday to Tuesday afternoon, and the crank shaft sensor was replaced along with the timing belt and a couple of other belts. 630 dollars later I find myself with my car, and I am thankful thinking at least I do not have a car payment. End scene.

Wed morning, the very next morning after my car is returned, I get in my car, as I drive down the street, my car completely stalls. It shuts off and is stuck in the middle of the road. Again, I call my dad: we push it to the side of the road and have it towed back to the mechanic. After a lot of testing, he determines is must have been a fluke incident as it would not die on him. So we drive out there on Wed night, and as soon as I take off, it dies on me, again. He keeps it and tests it again the next day, and brings it to me Thursday night.

I drive my car to Bible study, where interestingly enough, we talk about Nehemiah and the wall being rebuilt and the state of the wall paralleling the state of the people. Our leaders asked us to share regarding which season of life we found ourselves in, and I shared about my car, and the things the Lord was teaching me through it, thinking surely I am out of the woods with the whole car situation. After a wonderful evening of discussion, I get into my car and turn the key. No start. I tell my self not to panic, and I try it again. This time, the car starts and so I drive hoping it will not stall again. I am sitting at the light at Memorial and 610 and my car just dies…shuts off completely, and so I try to restart it, it starts but then shuts off and will not budge. I call my poor Father again, and he says he can be there in about 15 minutes. He comes, we push my car into the Shell station and arrange for the mechanic to get it again. This time, they find out that it is a bad part. The crank shaft sensor that had just been replaced was faulty, so they replaced it again. I went camping that weekend and had the blessing of not thinking about my car and enjoying friends, nature, and time with the Lord.

My car was waiting for me in my driveway when I returned, and I was so thankful, thinking surely, all problems must be solved. I drive my car from Monday to Friday, and although it seems quite shaky, it works, and I am thankful. On Friday night, I stayed after school to work my girl’s volleyball game, and then was headed to a missions prayer night up at church. I am on 610, merging into I10 and suddenly all the lights on my dash come on and my car has absolutely no power. I was going about 70 mph so some how by the grace of God, while the car still had momentum, I was able to merge over to the right, one lane at a time and finally had to stop at a white triangular patch (non-lane) near an on ramp. As my car shakes as cars are speeding past me on either side at 80 mph, I sit there, not knowing what to do. My dad is not available because he referees football games every Friday, my brother was also refereeing, my mom did not answer her phone (after 6 rings), my roommates were at our high school’s homecoming football game. Everyone in my life that I am the closet to was not able to help me. I called the mechanic and he gave me the number of a towing company, who did not answer. I then called my sweet friend, Katie, who was willing to come meet me wherever I needed, and as I am talking to her, I hear a knock on my passenger side window. There is this shady looking 40 something year old man, motioning to me to roll down my window, which I cannot do. So I have to in faith, open my door to this stranger. He then says, “M’am, you are not in a safe place”...gee, you think? After walking back and forth to his tow truck a couple of times, he eventually told me he was with Safety Clear and told me he could tow me (on the city’s bill) to the nearest gas station. I asked if he could take me to the church instead, and although he said no at first, the Lord changed His heart and he then said yes. Katie met me there, and after it was all said and done, he hands me his card. When my eyes focused in on what was in my hand, it took everything in me not to make some strange face. His card looked like a magic card and said, “GHOST” on it in some gothic script, on the back: “Dark Justice Towing”. So apparently, the Lord saw fit to send Ghost to come rescue me.

My timing belt (yes the thing that was just replaced) was shredded to pieces, and in the process, ruined the engine. After discovering it would take around 2400 dollars to replace the engine, and seeking many counselors, I decided it was prob

ably a better investment to buy a new car- something safe and reliable that could last me a least ten years. After a week of car shopping, and haggling, I am now the owner of a brand new car. I didn’t think I would ever buy a new car, and now that I have one I cannot really believe its mine. Well I guess it’s the Lord’s but He has given it to me as a gift. The smooth ride definitely off sets the fact that I now have car payments.

For those of you who have stayed with me this whole time, bless your heart! I am sorry for the length- now for the lessons:

1. The Only Thing Good in Me is Jesus (check out the song if you haven’t). I came face to face with my sin multiple times through this experience, which is always a humbling, horrifying and wonderful thing. Painful, but necessary. I saw my tendency to be self-reliant, self-sufficient, prideful, complaining, and my need to take control, which is in fact an illusion. Thankfully, He has taken out this old heart, and put in us a new heart:

^“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:25-26

2. God is Jehovah Jirah! He is Provider and He provides:

Finances: Finances are tight, trying to pay for grad school, the car repairs and now the new car, but God provides. I prayed specifically for a way to make extra money, and in a couple of days, out of no where, he provided to young girls in need of a private Calculus tutor. I also had worked a week of summer sc

hool, and the payment was included in my September paycheck, which was perfect timing.

People: He provided my dad (countless times) to come save me, my coworkers to offer advice, drive me places, my roommates t

o drive me places, my wonderful roommate’s parents allowed me to borrow one of their cars for 3 weeks, and even Ghost to come and rescue me from the freeway.

Presence: He provided to peace of His presence that comes through prayer and constant communication with Him. When something you take for granted every day changes, God has a way of getting our attention. Every time I turned that car key, I prayed- we pray because we need Him. We desperately need Him every second of every day, and do not even realize it, walking around with this air of independence as if we do not need Him, as if we made our selves and control our next breath. The fact of the matter is we do not breathe apart from Him.

Grace in the wilderness: I am in love with this phrase from Jeremiah 31,

“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness--

Israel, when it went to find its rest.’
The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying,
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”

So many evidences of His grace are all around us. There are many aspects of common grace, things in which we all share- like the taste of good food, or being able to enjoy a laugh with friends, and then there is the grace that increases the joy of everything for the believer.

3. We are Helpless. I think the enemy and our own pride and self reliance often mask our eyes to this fact. The reality is that any of us is just one phone call away from being on our knees. Hearing that a child is sick, or a parent has passed away, or that we lost something we hold so dear, brings us to a place of rawness and realness like nothing else. The mask is removed. The illusion is gone and for just an instant, we get a glimpse of things as they really are. We are just one of over 6 billion on this planet we called earth, one of many planets in our solar system, which is really small compared to other things in space. God is outside of all of that. He is infinite. He has no limits. He is not bounded by anything. This God – this Creator is the One to Whom we pray. This all Powerful, Mighty Lord, is also Our Personal Master, Savior and Friend. He is in control. He is Sovereign. He rules over all.

On that Friday morning, and then again on Wednesday night and Thursday night and the next Friday night when my car died, I sat, very much of aware of my helplessness. How many times do I turn on the car and not even give it a second thought, or flip on a light switch, or enjoy a great hamburger, or fresh fruit, or use my ability to see, to reason to think, love, give a hug, go on a walk, (and the list goes on and on) without even giving it a second thought? The sad reality is that I often live my life as if I am the source, the center, the one who has accomplished all these things, when all of that is remarkably quickly stripped away with something as small as a car not starting.

I am a beggar.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

There are a couple of different words for poor in the Greek. This particular word is ptochos: poor and helpless, one who needs lifting, so poor he can only obtain his living by begging, he has absolutely NOTHING.

Sadly, we live in a cultural that abides by relative morality and if we are not careful, we can all think we are “good” because we are “better” than the guy next to us. But we are not good. We are helpless. We have nothing. God is good alone. He made something from nothing, and only he can restore our nothingness. Only He can change our heart of stone to a heart of flesh. Our righteous deeds are filthy rags in comparison to His beauty. But He has a heart that desires to rescue and save and pursue, all for His glory and our joy.

So where do we go from here? In this restless uncertain season of life (which I feel like life only gets more complex the older you

get), this is His will:

Today, even if you find yourself in the wilderness (maybe especially if you find yourself in the wilderness) be thankful.

“Pray without ceasing, in everything give

thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thess. 5:17-18

Do any of us know what tomorrow holds? Do I know if my car will start tomorrow? No. Tomorrow is not even promised to us. But we have a God who is faithful. Let us rest in that. And He is good.

4. He is our source for JOY.

Lastly, let us GAZE upon His face. As Augustine says, ‎"How sweet it was all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I once feared to lose and was now glad to reject! You drovethem from me, you who are the true, the Sovereign Joy. You took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, at last my mind was free from the gnawing anxieties of ambition and gain...O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation."

We must realize the things we hold so dear are nothing compared to Him. Like Shane and Shane say, “what once was a pearl is now sand, in light of Him”.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life…one things I have asked form the Lord, that I shall seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord ALL the days of my life” (Psalm 27)….let us SEEK His face!

We have a Mighty God. His Love is Strong. Let it be a vice containing you, restraining and refining and at the same time freeing you to know and pursue and love Him deeper still.

“Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

Out with the old..in with the new.

Light.Love.Life

So I have been absent from the blogging world for quite some time now. Something I hate about myself, is sometimes I start projects and do not finish them. Occasionally I can be quick to jump on a bandwagon without asking myself, "Self, are you really going to be dedicated to this? Are you doing this simply because others are, or it's the new thing, or in an attempt to be the best ____ fill in the blank..." Sorry for the rambling. I will probably post more on that topic later.

I have the blessing of helping to facilitate a bible study on 1 John this summer. Here is a poem I wrote after I read 1 John several months ago, and as I am studying it again, I came across it. Just thought I'd share:

God, you are light.
You cleanse, you purify, you heal.
You are light.
You guide, you direct, you reveal.

You were, you are, you will always be.
There are no shifting shadows, for you are constant for eternity.
You are my exceeding joy.

Not a good thing have I to claim.
But you, rich in mercy saw fit to call me by your name.
All I have are filthy rags to offer,
Your blood is what makes me clean.
I am the clay. You are the potter.

No longer do I live for myself,
But for you Lord.
Lead me according to your Word.
I am wholly yours.

Your goodness has allowed me to taste this thing called grace.
Oh how I long to see your face-
to gaze upon you my sweet Jesus.
You are my soul's delight.
For this I will fight.

You word is your creating agent.
You spoke, "Let there be light" and there was in this creation
and i my heart
Your word brought forth Lazurus from his grave
and this soul it did save.
I will run to you.
For you make all things new.

Consume me for your glory.
I only want to be apart of your story.

God you are light.
You are love.
You are life!

Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
Nothing sweeter than your name.
Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
As a humble babe you came.
You died. You rose. Your reign!

My hope is in you alone.
For without the resurrection all would be in vain.
Lord create in my a longing for your return.
For you alone my soul yearns.

For the Empty....beyond Obed

From the desert of bitterness....

For the empty at heart, for those who are so tired of waiting, for those who wonder if there is more than the getting up and going to work and doing chores and running errands and all the other ordinary things we do daily...


Here is a story:

There was a lady who lost everything: her husband, her two sons, her security, her home. She used to be pleasant, but now she is bitter, so much so, she asks people to address her by the name. She has lost it all, except for one thing- her faithful daughter-in-law. This girl is so devoted to her mother-in-law, she goes to work to support her. And she just so happens to work in the fields of this man of character and respect. He takes notice of her diligence, her faithfulness, and after a little invitation, steps in to be this small family's redeemer. He marries the daughter-in-law. And they give birth to a son, but not just any son....for this son becomes the father of Jesse, the Father of David.........the Father of Jesus Christ, our Messiah.

Our Sunday School class just got done going through Ruth, and the Lord used this mornings' lesson to encourage my heart so much, I wanted to share it.

Naomi feels that God has deserted her. This Almighty, powerful God, one who is able to do all things, seems to have forgotten her and her needs. She looks around and the circumstances cause her to lose all hope, and from the human perspective, this is rightly so. The situation does look hopeless, but God never stops working. He was working and orchestrating the events behind the scenes. Are you tired of waiting? Are you bitter? Remember, HE IS GOOD! He is working behind the scenes, orchestrating this grand masterpiece, but not just for your life, for eternity.

You see, the story does not end: "Ruth and Boaz get married. The End."But rather, it ends with a focus on Naomi and Obed (the son Ruth and Boaz have). Obed becomes the Father of Jesse and Jesse the Father of David- and that was a name of promise for the Israelites! This name pointed to the Messiah- the one who would come to save them from their sins, just as Moses had led them out of their slavery years before. Our Sunday School teacher read an excerpt out of a John Piper sermon on Ruth, and it was such an exhortation! Part of it went something like this: this story is much more than a lovely romance, a grandmother holding her cute grandbaby, or even God's provision for two women, it is about God's plan for redemption! For this goes BEYOND OBED...to point to Jesus, the one who fills all in all! This means that even the everyday ordinary events in our lives point to something greater! God is working this detailed mosaic not only for our lives but for His glory, for His eternal purposes. It is so not about us.

To the streams of life abudant in knowing Him as your treasure...

Wild Things

So, one of the joys of being a high school teacher is ever so often having the opportunity to pretend you are one of the kids again.

This Friday night was our Homecoming game and I was afforded such an opportunity. Our school is fairly new (this is its 3 year) and our student body has done a wonderful job at attempting to build unity and school spirit. One such method has been the creation of the "Wildthings", a student group that dresses up in white overalls painted with Cy-Woods Crimson red and gold and lead the student section in yells through out the game. They also run these huge flags that spell out "W O O D S" down the field whenever we score.

The Faculty Wild Things lined up ready to run for the opening before the National Anthem

Well, for the Homecoming game they asked for volunteers, and I, wanting to be involved with my students and serve in what ever way possible, decided this was a good idea. I have to say sprinting 100 yards down the side line carrying a huge flag is a little harder than it looks, and I am a little sore today, but I had the time of my life!

It was so amazing to be able to see my students shine in their different areas of talent. Before the game started, we, the faculty Wild Things, lined up down the field ready to run as soon as the football players broke through the banner. We had to time this perfectly as to not get run over by the football players. The Crimson Cadettes (our drill team) and our cheerleaders were also lined up on the field as well. I have several on the drill team, and 3 varsity cheerleaders and many football players. It was such a privilege to be on the field with them. I also got to see the drum line when they came over to the student section after half time. These students are so talented, and it is so neat to see them outside of the classroom in their element. I now have a lot of ammonitition for praise.

And I have to say I really enjoyed the intensity and atmosphere of being on the field on a Friday night football game. I yelled as loud as I could, did some cartwheels, and basically got to act like a huge goof ball. We scored a total of 6 touch downs and we quickly got tired of running the flags- so we were on a rotation. One time I was slightly embarrassed as I happened to be the only girl running with 5 guys. The lead flag sets the pace, and our wrestling coach decided to sprint as fast as he could down the field- sadly, despite my best efforts, I had trouble keeping up. It was quite humorous as you saw the spirit flag, W, O and then a H U G E space O, D, S. Oh well, anything for the kids...right?!
One of my amazing students, Lauryn and me at the game

Two thoughts:

1. Why does no one have to tell the crowd to cheer when a great play is made or yell "ooohhh" when some one jumps off a diving board and does a huge belly flop? This is worship. This is the natural, truthful response to these given situations. Our Father desires us to worship in Spirit and in truth. Worship is our repsonse to God for who He is and what He has done. This should not be some conjured up emotion or praise, but just a natural response, like our loud cheers or standing to our feet when our team is about to make a great game changing play. We should stand up and shout or fall to our knees, or simply respond, however we see fit to Our God, our Creator, the One who has given us life.

2. Wouldn't the football game be a lot less fun with out the cheerleaders, the dance team, the band, the fans, the players? Each role is important. I think that this is a huge lesson that we must learn in life. We must not be envious of others' gifts, talents or position in life. For God has appointed each of us to serve in different capacities. He has so perfectly engineered us to be different for His glory. We are all members of one body, each with a different role. What if the heart decided it wanted to be the lungs? We would die...

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." Romans 12:3-6

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace" 1 Peter 4:10

Seasons

Don't you just love fall? The changes of the leaves (well in some parts of the world), the cooler weather (again, in some parts of the world) and the ushering in of the holiday season. I just love seeing the pumpkins outside of the grocery stores. They just make me happy. What is it about this change? It is not unique from Summer turning to Fall, for I get excited when it changes from Winter to Spring as well. What is the source of this excitement? I think it is the human fascination with something new, something different, a change.

Isn't Our Creator so infinitely wise that He created the world we live in with seasons? I love the changing of the seasons, the fact that God makes all things new. New beginnings. Fresh starts. Many people who know nothing about the One who made them do know something about the idea of a clean slate. A new chance. Isn't is almost unbelievable that our God is the one who redeems? He restores! He renews. 2 Corinthians 5:17 If anyone is in God, He is a new creation. The old has gone. The NEW has come!

Not only do we see seasons in Creation, we see seasons in life. I work with some amazing women. Each of them are in a completely different stage of life than I- most are married, some have young babies, some elementary school kids, some jr. high and some high school. And then there is me. I am starting my second year of teaching, sharing a house with 2 amazing girls, and just enjoying this time of singleness (or at least on most days). Today was twin day for Homecoming Week, and we all dressed alike. I have to admit, it was pretty fun having an excuse to wear pig tails. Something about it just made me feel like a little girl again.

Each season brings its various trials, pains, joys and celebrations. We must not dwell on the future....things will get better when I graduate, when I get a job, when I get married, when I buy a house, when I have a baby, when the kids graduate, when I am done paying for this......etc.

We must not dwell on the past, on what could have been or what might be. We must realize that our life is merely a midst that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). We must live in the present. My dear Sunday School teacher through out college once told us that she prayed that the Lord would give her the ability to truly enjoy each stage of life. She and her husband even gave the stages of life names (ex: the sippy cup stage or the paper and pencil stage). I have began the habit as well. For, like Elisabeth Elliot said, "Where ever you are be all there." For this time, this place, the Lord has chosen for us. Let us not shrink back from living as He has called us to live. I pray that He would help me to simply focus on being in His presence as I walk through out this thing called life.

"The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup. Thou dost support my lot."Psalm 16:5

He is our portion. He has given us our present assignment. Rather we are taxi driver to our kids, working a 9-5 job and then some, or in our 80's spending time with our grandchildren, He is our portion. He is our treasure, and He is moving in our lives. If only we would ask Him to help us enjoy our season. For it is just a season. And it will soon pass....

Playground Memories

Today at school was Nerd Day, as it is Homecoming week and an excuse to dress up.

It was so much fun seeing many of my students in the nerd gear- fanny packs, glasses, suspenders, ties and boties, socks up to their knees....oh how simple joys can make the day so much better.

Maybe we should have nerd day everyday...

But anyways, everyday as part of the warm-up (I teach Calculus for those of you who don't know), I put up a "Good thing". One of the other teachers recommended it and I love it! The good things range from share a scar story to tell me about what happened this weekend. It is a great way to get to know the kids and we almost always share a laugh.

Today was share a story from the playground.

Sweet memories: kickball, monkey bars, slides, boys chasing girls or girls chasing boys, games of make believe and magic and building things....

I found it quite amusing that many of the stories had to do with boys/girls....one boy shared that he would get married to the same girl everyday during recess, but when it came to the kiss, she would run away. Another shared a time when he wanted to impress a girl but instead of sliding into the base, he face planted. Yet another shared of a time when he kissed a little girl in kindergarten and got reprimanded.

How funny that the fascination with the one so different than ourselves begins so soon. No one has to tell us to do these certain things...we just do.

Thankfully God created both man and woman in His image. Not to be the same- but to be equal. Equality does not mean sameness, for He has given us each important and necessary roles.

It is when man is being fully man and woman being fully woman that He is most glorified- not when we are trying to act like one another and reach some sort of "equal playing ground".

We are different, but that is good!

I just pass him by

Why dont' I stop?

So I was just sitting at the intersection of Gessner and 290, as I do everyday on my way home from school, and I tried not to stare at the man standing there. His sign read," Never thought it would happen to me, but God humbles everyone."

I have seen another man standing there the past couple of weeks, but this was a different man with a different sign. I always wonder where they got the materials to make the sign. Did they dive through a dumpster? or save up to get a marker? or perhaps someone let them borrow one...

How often do I just drive by....not knowing what to do? I even makesure my doors are locked (as advised by my mom). I think, "he probably won't spend the money I give him wisely", or "Oh if only I had some cash today..." or, "I wish I was a guy so I would feel comfortable offering him a ride to the nearest restaurant and I could pick up his meal....tell Him about Jesus...."

But I don't do anything. The paralysis of analysis. I am not held accountable for what that man does with my money or with the things that I give him, if I gave him anything at all, that is.

I am held accountable for using the gifts God has given me with wisdom. But is worldly wisdom an accuse for not acting out of faith or for being complacent? How often are we like....oh we shouldn't do that because "that's not wise"! Oh but the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God! (1 Cor 1)

In Hebrews, the author exhorts the body to show hospitality to all, for by doing so they may entertain angels. We do not know who that man is. He is a person. Someone God chose to give life. And I just pass him by.

Why?

Am I afraid he wouldn't receive my gift? Am I selfish? or am I just lazy? I don't want to be interrupted from my adgenda...

Most of Christ's ministry occurred during so called "interruptions" from one town to the next, from one work to the next...He was stopped along the way- to cast out demons, give the blind sight, feed the 5000, stop a woman's bleeding...

May I be open to interruptions....

But I just pass him by....