What Lights Up Your Life?

Most of the light that enters our eyes comes from a source heated to a point that it gives off light – the sun, light bulbs, stars, forest fires and candles are good examples. Little of that light, however, enters directly. Rather it is reflected – off of clouds, walls, papers we’re trying to read. You recognize this. Few things in our lives produce light on their own.

And yet there are a few living organisms that do produce their own light. When the word bioluminescence is mentioned, those who recognize the word typically think of glow worms or lightning bugs – actually a type of beetle. Both male and female beetles have an organ at the rear of their abdomen that chemically produces flashes of light – without the production of measurable heat. It is often referred to as cold light.

There are other organisms that have this capability, – a number of molds that decompose rotting logs in the forest, a few other insects,
some jellyfish, and a handful of bacteria species – all able to bioluminesce. There is also a group of one-celled marine organisms (phytoplankton) that has some members that can do this. These are the dinoflagellates – so-named because the cells all possess a pair of flagella with which they can achieve a modicum of locomotion. While there is a fairly long list of those that bioluminesce, the three genera that I became acquainted with while in college were Noctiluca, Gymnodinium, and Gonyaulux, since they are a major source of bioluminescence in Puget Sound in Washington State. In fact, while I was in attendance, the Marine station had a forty-foot fishing boat name the Noctiluca. As a footnote, I might mention that this same group is often responsible for the “red tides” at summer bathing beaches.

For the most part, the organisms which luminesce have the ability to control when their lights are on and off. Most of them don't glow all the time.

Anyone who’s gone for a night-time cruise in the tropics has seen evidence of the presence of the dinoflagellates. They are largely responsible for the glow in the wake and bow waves as the ship moves through the water. And those who’ve gone night-diving in the tropics often come back with wondrous tales of sparkling water as they swam. The glow is real. It’s not just the emotional effects of some mid-night cruise.

Back in the mid-90’s I co-taught a course on the Biology of Baja California. One of our days would be spent going out into the Sea of Cortez (politically known as the Gulf of California) to see some islands that had sea bird and sea lion colonies. We would time our trip so that it was dark as we returned to Bahia de Los Angeles, where we had our base. The captain would turn out all the lights except for his running lights so we could see the bioluminescence. And the students were always given a treat. You could tell where schools of fish were because you’d see a sudden star-burst down in the water as the fish scattered. Porpoises swimming toward the ship looked like torpedoes, or fast-moving water snakes. But the greatest thrill of all would be when a deep-feeding whale would pass by.

A few deep-water fish have bioluminescent patches on their skin. But the fish themselves are not bioluminescent. Specific locations on the skin harbor colonies of bioluminescent bacteria. Somehow, the fish are able to cause the bacteria to fluoresce on command. Why the fish have these patches is only a guess. It is hard to have a conversation with a fish that lives at the bottom of the ocean. By some means, these fish do something, or produce something at these specific body locations that support the bacterial life. I suppose that, potentially, a fish could become sick and lose the attractiveness of its skin patches. Then its light would go out.

In the spiritual realm, we are like those fish. Paul tells us to “Let your light so shine…” But we’re not bioluminescent. What light? Of course, Christ is the “light”. We can only glow spiritually when the source of light is dwelling in our hearts. Christ is to shine through us. But in order to keep the luminescence thriving in our lives, we have to keep our relationship with its source healthy. When we do this, we’ll be like the city on the hillside, a light drawing all to Him.

Have a great day.

Dr. G

What Will You Give Me?

I was in the mall the other day when I saw a mother trying to deal with what one might call a recalcitrant child. Let’s just say that the little girl (perhaps three years old) didn’t think much of any of her mother’s suggestions, requests or demands. While not giving forth a temper tantrum, her feet were firmly planted and the lower lip projected quite noticeably. It was a pose that probably every normal child has been in at one time or another. But it wasn’t the child’s behavior that really drew in my attention as I watched from the bench on which I was sitting. What I really took notice of was what the mother finally resorted to. Bribery.

Having exchanged her cooperation in trying on another pair of shoes for a newly promised ice cream cone, the little girl pulled in her lip and began walking with her mother quite pleasantly. One might even entertain the idea that the two of them had been through the routine at least once before.

Buying people off. That is what it amounts to, and it happens all the time. It may happen between parent and child. Sometimes it is boss and employee. It is all too frequent between politicians and lobbyists or politicians and voters (and vice-versa). Sad to say, but it can occasionally happen between teacher and students. There are probably a number of reasons it happens, but it seems unfortunate that it happens at all. At its core it almost always amounts to the selling out of one principle or another for some immediate gratification.

One of my favorite authors once wrote, “The greatest want of the world is the want of men-- men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. “ E. G. White, Education, p. 57.

To my mind, there must be a corollary: The second greatest want of the world is the want of men (and women, of course) who will not attempt to “buy” the cooperation, influence or support of others.

Standing up for principles – what a novel thought. Cooperation bought with ice cream today will require the addition of sprinkles eventually, probably sooner than later.

I’ll take double-dip dark chocolate fudge with that!

Dr. G

Ever Need A Shovel?

I began singing in school choruses and choirs in the eighth grade, and continued through high school and on into my senior year in college. In the ninth grade, I had a barbershop quartet that sounded pretty good together. Barbershop harmony is quite close, and it takes a good ear to keep the group on pitch, especially since the music is almost always done a cappella. We looked pretty nifty in our straw hats, white shirts, red bow ties, and red,white and blue-striped vests. But the group ceased to exist after that year since two of the members went to different schools.

My senior year in high school, I asked our choir director if I could get a quartet together for one song at our spring concert. He agreed to let me try, so I convinced the lead first and second tenors and a friend who was a baritone in the choir to give it a try. None of them had sung barbershop before, but with some diligent work, the one song sounded fairly good, as long as we had accompaniment. But at the program, we'd have to go it alone.

The big night came and, about half way through the program, we were in the spotlight. The first note sounded pretty good, but it went downhill from there. The tight harmony was just too much for the baritone, and he pulled both tenors flat. On top of that, their senses of syncopation left something to be desired. Fortunately, we had our music in front of us, and, as we neared the end of the first verse, I desperately pointed to the final ending. The others understood; we finished our cacophony, and exited stage right.

We rejoined the chorus on the risers, and prepared to sing our next piece. Everyone came in right on time. Unfortunately for me, I was still so flustered that I started singing a different song. I quickly rejoined the rest of the group, aware of a certain look from the director. Have you ever seen one of those Southwest Airline ads that asks, "Feel like getting away?" I sure did that night. Where's a good shovel when you need one?

For the next number, I was to join our regular pianist at the piano for a four-handed accompaniment to a piece by Mozart. As I slid onto the piano bench next to her, she whispered, "At least you had good stage presence." Unbelievable. Someone in the group wasn't totally down on me and was willing to give me a reprieve, a kind word. Feeling somewhat better, I got through the Mozart without a hitch. The rest of the program was a breeze.

When Peter denied Christ in Pilate's palace, he suddenly wanted to get away. I suspect that, after Christ responded to the mother of James and John when she asked if they could have the best seats in the house in His kingdom, the two boys wanted to "get away." And there were other times, I'm sure, that the whole group felt like I did that night so long ago.

Have you ever blundered in public to the extent that you wanted to crawl into a hole? Did you wish for someone to come along and let you know things weren't totally ruined, unrecoverable? That is how Christ dealt with His slow-to-learn disciples, time and again. That is what Marlys, our accompanist, did at the piano for me.

From time to time, we'll have a student make a real mistake in our presence. When it happens, how will we respond? It is so easy to jump on the unfortunate, erring child and squash them like a bug. But if we do that, what have we really accomplished? More than likely they'll already be aware of their mistake. How much better to relieve their anxiety and lift them up so they are willing to try again. We're all human, and we certainly must allow for the mistakes of children. We've got to keep their interest in succeeding thriving and growing. LORD, allow me to be gracious with them in the same way you are with me.

Now, get your nose out of the music and watch the timing of the entrances this time!

Dr. G

Learning Can Be Fun

As I walk the halls of my school, I really enjoy reading the wide variety of student compositions on the walls. I keep in mind that much of our student population is in the process of learning English, so I have to allow for fractured English and convoluted sentences from time to time. It is amazing what one can learn. Sometimes it is new, correct information I’ve never heard of; other times it contradicts things I already know. The other day I noticed in one composition the fact that cactuses eat lots of rats. Having taught a course in Desert Biology, as well as English as a Second Language, I think I know what the author really meant.

The inventive spelling is also very interesting. Many of the missteps arise from the fact that some sounds in English are missing in the Spanish language. It is also possible that, in our rush to get the words out, our pronunciation doesn’t hit their ears all that well, and the students end up writing what they hear, which isn’t what we think we said. Another possible source of error comes when we use new words that sound similar to words they’ve already learned. Not really homophones, but approximate homophones, if there is such a thing. Of course, this latter situation occurs with any child learning a language, whether it be the first, second, or even third one learned. And it is this situation that can lead to some of the more hilarious comments.

Last night, as she was getting ready for bed, our granddaughter asked her father if she could learn a new bed-time prayer.

“OK,” he answered. “Would you like to learn the prayer Jesus taught us?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Repeat after me,” he said.

“Our Father,” he began, and she echoed his words until he had said, “Hallowed be thy name.”

At which point she said, “Howard is his name.”

The two were eventually able to finish the prayer.

Sometimes, what the Lord says to us is totally new to our understanding, and instead of asking for clarification, we use “inventive” hearing, ending up with the wrong response. Other times, we aren’t paying attention, and we hear things that were not said. And again, we end up with the wrong response. And then there are the times that what He says sounds like something we’ve heard before; we assume that it is the same old message, and once again, we end up with the wrong place wrong action, or wrong time.

I have so often wished my students could focus so clearly, and that I could/would speak so clearly, that my message would always get through to them, and vice-versa. Do you suppose God ever feels that way about us?

Watch out for them there cactuses, man! At least now we know why they grow so well.

Dr. G

I Want To Be Like You

I’ve been at my current school for a little over ten years, and must say I’ve enjoyed it very much. If you had told me when I was finishing up my doctorate all those many years ago that I would end up working mostly with Kindergarten children who speak very little English, I would have suspected you’d been working with too much formaldehyde. But, as it turns out, that is where I am, and, while any job will have its ups and downs, I must admit my work with the little ones has been refreshing and rewarding.

Every morning I unload the buses as they come to our school. I try to greet as many children as I can by name. There are 8 buses, each with between 50 and 60 children. I probably know half of the children by name, but with the rush going past me (we unload two buses at a time), I usually am lucky to spot and name about a third of the children. It is important for them to know they are not just a face in the crowd, that they are recognized as individuals. When they know their teachers accept them, they are much more receptive to what we try to give and do. For the most part, the children respect and look up to the teachers at our school, and I frequently see evidences that show they identify with us.

I’ve mentioned in a blog a number of months ago that I wear western boots to school. They are comfortable, and give my ankles good support. Many of our students or their families, at least, originate in the rural parts of Mexico. It isn’t uncommon to see boots and western-style hats (which I also wear on colder mornings) on the parents and grandparents. Once in a while, a little boy will show up with boots. On quite a few occasions, I’ve had some little guy sidle up to me and put his boot beside mine, look up, and grin.

I’m also known at my school for my neckties. Of the approximately 80 staff (not including cafeteria workers), there are only 7 men in the school. I’m the only one who wears neckties. I’ve always worn them to this school, in part to let the students see that one can dress a little nicer without being on the way to church, a wedding or a funeral. I suspect many of the students don’t see ties around the house all that much. More than once, I’ve had a child come up, look at my tie, and say, “My dad has one of those.”

The ties I wear are what one would call novelty ties – cartoon characters, animals, etc. And I have quite a few of them. There are several children that, as soon as they get off their buses, stop by to see what tie I have on. I’ve had to laugh more than once when a little boy, especially kindergarten boys, get off the bus on Picture Day all gussied up in vest, white shirt and tie. As soon as they catch my eye, they reach down and wave their tie at me, much like Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy silent films used to do all the time. Identifying with me. Wanting to emulate me. That is one of the great sources of joy I get. But the responsibility of it all. I must be careful to give them something to emulate.

As I was thinking about this earlier today, my mind moved on to the idea of emulating Christ. I’m sure He enjoys it when we “sidle up” to Him, as it were. Do we want to be by His side? Are we willing to show Him the parts of us that are like Him? How much we should want to be a lot like Him. How much we need to be totally like Him. Do we want Him to call us by name, to indicate that we’re important to Him? I hope so.

There’s an old spiritual that has the line, “All God’s children got shoes.” I wonder if some of them will have boots.

Have a great day.

Dr. G