Luke 12:22-31 (NIV)

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Reflection:

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin was a famous song from the 80’s that enjoyed a long run as a one hit wonder. As the title suggests, the song tells its listeners not to focus on the negative things in life, and instead smile and be positive. Yet, we know from our own life experience that sometimes simply putting on a happy face and forgetting about our troubles doesn’t make them go away. In fact, purposefully trying to place our mind somewhere else instead of taking care of the matter at hand can actually make things much worse. At the other extreme, if we just set our eyes on our troubles, and get lost in trying to find a solution, then we can also become paralyzed to the point where other things start to slip and fall apart. So what are we to do?
Thankfully, God’s Word addresses this very point. We are not to be oblivious to our real issues in life nor are we to forget everything else and just stay on that one matter. Rather, Jesus encourages us to trust in God, and remember that He is the One that cares for us and will provide everything we need. Just as the flowers of the field are wonderfully dressed, and the birds of the air are fully cared for, so too are those that trust in God and choose to worship Him with all that they have. It is in trusting in God’s total care for us that we are able to give our all for His Kingdom and enjoy all the blessings that He has for us.

Response:

Let’s pray that we would not worry and overly invest our time, lives and resources trying to prepare for every single thing that may come up.  Instead, let’s turn to the One that knows even the smallest of our needs, and ask that rather than living a life of constant worry and frustration that we would spend our time and energy trusting God and living the life that He has called us to.

Teachers — for all they do — so often fly under the radar, inspiring students to succeed while taking little credit for themselves. The late UMBC biology faculty member, Carl Weber, was one of those teachers. His legacy, however, will ensure that excellence in teaching at UMBC will be recognized and nurtured—in part through a yearly award in his name that is given to outstanding faculty at UMBC. This year’s winner of the 2010 Carl Weber Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching Award was Dr. Jeff Leips, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Biological Sciences. “It is an honor to be compared to someone who was so well respected as a teacher,” said Dr. Leips. The award was established in 2006 by his family in memory of Dr. Weber, Assistant Professor Emeritus and founding faculty member in the UMBC Department of Biological Sciences, as a tribute to his passion for classroom teaching. It honors a faculty member from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics for exceptional dedication to teaching as demonstrated by his or her enthusiasm, up-to-date teaching materials, effective mentoring, community service in the teaching area, approachability, rigorous learning requirements, coherent teaching philosophy and inspirational teaching style. At a recent lunch with members of the Weber family and a few colleagues of Dr Weber, Leips, inaugural award winner Bonny Tighe (senior lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics), Dr. Weber’s wife, Catherine, explained that the professor was not one to call attention to himself. In fact, the very thought of creating an award in his honor might have made him embarrassed. “He was the kind of person who shared who he was quite willingly,” said Mrs. Weber. “And if he saw everyone here at the table today, he’d probably be hugging them and laughing…and wanting to move on to something else.” Together, the group shared memories of Dr. Weber, from his love of classical and folk music, to his evolving passion for ecology, and to his many trips to streams in the Baltimore area doing insect larvae assays. “He had that kind of mind, in which something went in, and then everything just…stayed,” said Mrs. Weber. “If he was interested in something, he would just jump in.” “He was a pretty cool guy,” said Liesa Ann Weber-Frutchey, Dr. Weber’s daughter, a dance instructor, who spent many hours in the biology department as a child, often learning from her father and other professors as she played. “I used to catch butterflies and insects and then I learned how to preserve them…it was bonding time with my dad.” Dr. Leips seems to have followed in Dr. Weber’s footsteps, in a way, teaching the ecology section of UMBC’s Ecology and Evolution course. He has also worked with his colleagues to design a new advanced course in evolution (Evolution: From Genes to Genomes) and has developed a new course for graduate students, Mentoring in the Sciences. “It’s a beautiful thing to honor someone’s legacy through teaching,” said Dr. Leips, who has several of Dr. Weber’s old textbooks on his own shelves. “Plus, he was a wonderful guy, so this is really special.” Originally published in 2010.

If Jo Anne Sabas ’77 could give you a piece of advice, she’d pass along something her father, Captain Samuel Joseph Sabas, once said to her: “You can lose your job, you can lose your home, you can even lose your health, but when you earn a college degree it can never be taken away from you.”

Jo Anne knows just how true those words are. From an early age, her father encouraged her pursuit of knowledge, and later on inspired her to make a lasting mark with a planned gift to UMBC.

Sam Sabas grew up in grinding poverty in south Chicago doing back-breaking work to support his mother, younger brother, and sister. His hard work also paid for his sister’s catholic high school tuition. He continued to support his family until he married. He then supported successfully a wife and two daughters. It wasn’t until much later in life that he had his chance at higher education. At 63 he retired as a sea captain to become a full-time college student. He graduated with honors from a two-year college.

So when Sam told Jo Anne she needed an education, she believed him. In fact, it was at his urging that she decided to return to school. At UMBC she was a non-traditional student—a decision that would leave its mark on her for the rest of her life. Thanks in part to her education, Jo Anne was able to strike out on her own as a writer.

“I got a sterling education from UMBC. I just think that UMBC is such a fine university,” Jo Anne says. “I am proud to be a graduate.” Several years ago, she decided to establish the Jo Anne Sabas Scholarship Endowment, an endowment that will benefit non-traditional students who are majoring in English or who include English with another (double) major. The endowment was inspired by her father.

“My father gave me that chance to return to school,” she says. “The credit really belongs to him.” So she decided to give someone else that opportunity.

Jo Anne knows what it’s like to try to squeeze getting an education into an already hectic life. While at UMBC, Jo Anne worked full-time for the then Dean of Social Sciences. “Because I was non-traditional, I couldn’t get involved in activities. I took courses during lunch time. I took courses at other colleges and transferred the credits to UMBC,” she says. “When I got down to the last 18 credits, I was bone tired. I took a four-month leave of absence from my job with the Dean’s permission and finished,” she adds. She would like to give another non-traditional student the support needed to make it through the tough moments.