https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ9tTottjB8

Bari Weiss interviews Roland Fryer.

An eye-opening look at a very unusual life.

I turned a corner and God surprised me again.

 I'm both very busy and very contemplative lately.  It's taken a while for me to realize it, but God has set me up once again.  

I have finished the first week of my new school and I have things I want to talk about.  I can't say them in short paragraphs so I'm going to resurrect this old blog site of mine (I looked into a new blog site and they don't fit my needs).  If you are interested, you'll follow me here from Facebook or X.

I got laid off from Nutley High School back in June and started collecting unemployment.  It was enough money to get us by while I tried to rest.  You see, I was tired.  Exhausted.  Weak.  Brain fog.  

I was beat.

My doctor says I have a resurgence of Epstein Barr virus.  That sapped all my energy and made a difficult job much harder.  By the time they decided to not renew my contract at Nutley, I was so relieved that I could lay down and just do nothing.

But, of course, nothing is boring.  And then the roof caved in.  Well, actually it was the ceiling.

In September the ceiling in our bedroom fell.  Maddy was sitting on the bed going through the mail with her little dog, Frodo.  Frodo suddenly jumped up at a cracking sound and leaped off the bed.  This startled Maddy so much that she got off the bed.  Then the plaster ceiling, about ten square feet of it, fell onto the bed, mostly on my side.

I was upstairs at my computer.  And long story short, the insurance company might be made to pay, but only for the ceiling and only after the $1,000 deductible.  So, it wasn't going to help.  I started to work on it and I kept struggling.  I have so far removed the plaster and most of the lathing.  I'm going to work on it bit by bit until I can hire someone to do the drywall.  Then we'll move back in.  Right now Maddy and I are using our living room as a bedroom.  And it's been months and it's going to be longer because I have a new job.

January 3rd was the last day I could collect unemployment.  By this time I was starting to worry.  Not that disaster might befall us.  That was a given.  But that God might have the dingiest, poorest old folks home that needed Maddy and me to live in for some reason.  Oh, me of little faith.  

I got an email that day from the principal of a charter school in Paterson that was looking for a Physics teacher.  I went in for an interview and a demo teach and they hired me and offered me a pretty good salary with a starting bonus and performance bonuses.  I'm pretty pleased with it all, except that it took until last week before I could start.  The bank account got down to under $25 and by the time my first paycheck is set to show up I will owe two mortgage payments.

Oh, did I mention that some fraudulent activity ran up an old Paypal account we had forgotten about and it started deducting a couple hundred a month from the bank?  I couldn't log in because it was tied to an old email account I couldn't access so we closed out account and got a new one.  

Did you know it takes Social Security (our only income in January), at least two months to redirect payments to a new account?  (Insert long, annoyed rant later.)

Meanwhile, I started my job on the 15th.  I have six classes averaging 29 students, all freshmen.  I'm teaching freshman physics (a course I know very well), in a school that doesn't have much in the way of lab equipment.  But I can handle the entire freshman class (about 160).  It's the weird stuff that has my head spinning.

Day one was getting information and my computer from the vice principal.  I met most of the classes, learned about the bell schedule and met the young lady who's been subbing all year.  She's going to continue as my teaching assistant and is already a great help.

That was Thursday.  Friday there was no class because of a professional development day in Plainfield (about 45 minutes away).  I'm used to going to meetings and conferences where I know no one.  But the fun part was how excited people were to meet the new Physics teacher who actually knew Physics.  And I met three other Physics teachers from other schools and we had a great time.

Then, after the President's Day weekend we started school on Tuesday.  The school went into shelter in place during first period, then they announce the school was closing "for safety".  Turns out a serious bomb threat was delivered, with other violent threats.  My students cheered wildly.

It's just crazy.  

I'm trying to keep this short but there are still two things I want to talk about.  

First, Mr. I, the science department head.  He is very organized and my google calendar is busy.  So is my email.  We have meetings... that are excellent!  Mr. I has an amazing superpower.  He's a teacher who teaches teachers with the goal of making their jobs easier.  I have found a unicorn!  We get along great and he's explaining how he wants me to use the curriculum (that I know well) to get the most out of our time in instruction.  For the first time in 12  years of teaching I have found someone to actually help me advance my knowledge and understanding of pedagogy.  So, this will be a good experience. 

Second, and going back in time a bit further, I want to talk about The Chosen.  

I'm sure you've heard of the TV series about Jesus.  If not go watch.  It's great.  (Opinions differ.)

During the past three years Maddy and I have watched every episode.  And as I watch this portrayal of Jesus and His disciples wandering around Israel I'm reminded of my years wandering around with YWAM.  I know those disciples!  I was a semiliterate nitwit just like they were!  

Anyway, I watch that show and I've been praying for a while now.  I'm desiring in my heart to do something more, or else, for Jesus.  I've imagined if I had courage and faith enough I'd go into the heart of Paterson (only minutes away) and preach the Gospel.  Maybe just read the Sermon on the Mount and see what happens.  

I'm a daydreamer so this isn't new, but I recognize the desire that is in my heart, that hunger for following Him.  And today, suddenly, I realized... I'm now working in downtown Paterson.  In fact, I'm in a building (on the 6th floor) that is right next to the City Hall.  I can see their roof from my classroom window.

God has put me right where He wants me.  Right in the middle of Paterson.  A city that is third largest in New Jersey.  That is as densely populated as Manhattan.  That has many problems (bad streets, garbage everywhere, high crime... you name it), and I am wondering exactly what I'm to do.  Right now I know these:

I'm going to do my job better than I ever have.  I'm going to teach these unruly teenagers Physics.

I'm going to pray for Paterson while in the heart of Paterson.  I can take my lunch period and walk around the downtown.  And there's a Taco Bell across the street!

And I'm going to try to recruit you to pray too.  I've looked back at my Facebook history and I see how many of you have prayed for me as I've struggled with life and health and finances.  Now I'm going to ask for your faithfulness to join me in tearing down the walls of darkness and sin in Paterson.  

Revival has to start somewhere.  Might as well be here.