Leonard Skinner, a Jacksonville, Florida teacher, didn’t care much for hippies. When boys arrived for his class with shaggy hair, he sent them off to the principal’s office where they were suspended and ordered to get crew cuts or something close to it. This was back in the 1960s when educators could actually set rules and discipline students without being immediately subjected to lawsuits.

And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations.

Ezekiel 36:23

A group of Mr. Skinner’s long-haired, recalcitrant students later formed a rock band and decided to get even with him. They named their band Lynyrd Skynyrd, a derisive play on his name, and went on to record such hits as Sweet Home Alabama. Skinner, for his part, took it in stride, eventually rekindling a friendship with his once-embittered former students.

It is a far more serious matter to profane the great name of God. He promises that in such cases He will surely make Himself known to the nations. As you intercede for America and your leaders, pray that they may honor God in their governing…and may your words and deeds today be not a profanity, but a sweet testimony to His holiness.

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 57:11-16