The 1,000-yard stare.

I thought I had a good discussion starter for my high school Sunday School class. It was a scene from "Raiders of the Lost Ark." The scene where Indiana Jones hears from some government agents that Nazi archaeologists are trying to find the Ark of the Covenant. Indiana tells his boss that the opportunity to beat them to it is what he's waited his entire life for. His passion, his mission, his entire life for cryin' out loud, were tied to this one moment.

It fit the Bible text I was teaching, too. In the last half of 1 Timothy 6 where the Greek word for "pursue" means to "continually pursue with great passion." Later, there's more active verbage about "taking hold of the eternal life to which we were called." A life of passion, mission, adventure...

I thought the worship before the teaching time was excellent and set a tone for God's truth to impact hearts. I thought the movie scene fit the text perfectly. I tried my best to teach with passion and honesty and from a platform of humility, having already been convicted by that text from three weeks ago when I was preparing the lesson.

And I was greeted by a room full of high schoolers with the 1,000-yard stare. You know, the technique soldiers to use while they're being yelled at by drill sargeants? Just stare blankly at a fixed point 1,000 yards away.

Was the Holy Spirit not moving? Or was He moving in a convicting way? Were the teens processing information (knowing that a well-asked question requires a thoughtful response)? Was I afield from my students? Was I ineffective in my communication? Am I becoming marginalized? Or is it a sign of incredible teaching acumen?

The 1,000-yard stare may be effective as an emotional defense, but in a classroom setting, suffice to say it ain't the response you want from your students, buddy.