Bye Bye Birdy

This is actually amazing to me.

Our justice system should take a memo...the full number of cases against him have not even cleared the courts, but having been found guilty (big surprise), he has now met his just fate.

God have mercy on him. I only wish we had been able to administer similar justice to other prolific tyrants. I cannot guess what this will mean in the days ahead...but I had not expected this to happen so quickly.

At times like these, the obvious question we must ask ourselves is whether or not justice was actually served by yet another death. There are plenty of people in the world that consider the execution of this man to be, not justice, but actually a further action of barbarism. They argue that we have out-grown the death penalty, and that life-imprisonment if enough to satisfy the debt owed by such a monster.

I find these arguments interesting. When did we become so vitally concerned with the nature of the justice done to criminals? Opponents of the death penalty throw up statistics of wrongfully accused criminals sentenced to death...but the numbers they ignore are the vast majority of correctly prosecuted murderers, rapists, kidnappers, etc, that have earned their date with the executioner.

Yet, especially as a Christian, I have to admit that there is a finality to death that is extremely harsh. Should this cause us to pause? Should we fall short of administering the ultimate punishment?

I think not. I think that it's extreme nature is what makes the death penalty important. If criminals know that they can cheat death, whatever they say about the torment of life in prison (and I believe its awful), the cost of one's life is still the only appropriate price a murderer, rapist, kidnapper, etc can pay. It is the government's job to protect us...and for that they must carry a sword. Not just a jail cell...there must be a real threat for those that treat life with contempt.

Sigh. Still, a life has been ended by force, and a man has gone to meet God, and he was (I believe) most assuredly not prepared for that confrontation. Perhaps as a Christian I should regret his wasted life. As a citizen, I rejoice that my government has acted to assert the dominion of justice and order in the world.

God With Us; Christmas Day

In a season that has, by and large, lost its meaning in the midst of the commercial profit it represents, we are called to allow our feelings to dictate our actions. To let the joy and the merriment of the season inspire us to act in ways that we would, normally, not. And, of course, the skeptics in our society mock this sentimental call-to-arms. Feelings, after all, are not highly estimable when it comes to the real and serious business of life. Death, destruction, sickness and poverty are everywhere...surely, this nonsense of Christmas is just that: nonsense.

Surely, any change in our behavior that can trace its origin to some holiday must be too artificial to be taken seriously.

Yet this is the season of Joy, and it is the celebration of the fulfillment of a promise, steeped in the myth of our race, and intertwined with our daily lives. Those skeptics would do well to remember...long ago, mankind died. We became creatures of sin, and were permitted to work our will in all things, to our own destruction. In this state, we despaired...from the darkness of the earliest years, we were lost without hope of redemption. Through all the myths and every legend, this is clearly seen...we know we are lost and cannot save ourselves; we know that there is something wrong, that we cannot put right.

But 2000 years ago...everything changed. Life was irrevocably altered. A God became a man, and that incarnate God-man turned the established world of sinners on its ear. Death was robbed of its power over sinful man...because redemption was handed down from Heaven by God Himself, if only man could humble himself to seek salvation.

In short...all hope, all love...every good thing we know in this life, finds its source in the story and promise of Christmas.

Over the years, recognition of this fact has become packaged in the celebration of the Christ-mas, which in turn has become encumbered . We have lost sight of the amazing nature of the story, and classify it as myth and metaphor, belittling its importance by passing it off as unlikely and therefore untrue.

Still, the story of mankind's hope cannot be separated from this celebration. Every year, we celebrate joy in the midst of the death of Winter. We celebrate love and giving in the season when we have, historically, the least to spare.

And yet, the critics are right, in a sense; the world is not perfected yet. Heaven will not happen in this life...our hope lies in the land of God, and our joy waits in eternity. But today, Christmas Day, we celebrate that promise of hope, and the arrival of Emmanuel. God with us...abide with us...Emmanuel. Celebrate, men of earth; the Christ-child came to earth to save us from ourselves!

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high, Who ordered all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might, Who to your tribes on Sinai's height In ancient times gave holy law, In cloud and majesty and awe.Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem, From ev'ry foe deliver them That trust your mighty pow'r to save; Bring them in vict'ry through the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, O Key of David, come, And open wide our heav'nly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high, And cheer us by your drawing nigh, Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death's dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Oh, bid our sad divisions cease, And be yourself our King of Peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!

Merry Christmas, and may the Joy of Christ lift up your hearts!

Fun new links

http://robertthomasllizo.blogspot.com/
http://bourgeoisburglars.blogspot.com/
http://bourgeois-baby.blogspot.com/

The Body of Christ?

The topic of my most recent class discussion was the importance of Doctrine. Rather than preaching, as I have neither the time nor probably the auidence to warrant it, I offer this reflection and question:

The Doctrinal Statements or Creeds and tenents of our faith are the fundamental truths upon which the entire Christian belief is based...the most basic of these being a belief in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, and One Church, One Baptism, One Ressurection, One Life Eternal...

Great words...but what do they mean?

If the above is true, and supporting the above is what qualifies us as Christians...I must wonder, how we can be the Church of Christ if we do not understand the importance of the above? Put another way...why don't we have more Christians arguing for the beauty and truth of our faith based on the existence of a Triune God, and the Incarnate Savior? Our competitors know who and what they are...while we have lost touch with the basic foundations of our faith...and, worse, we don't even realize that we have stopped understanding (or even trying to understand) the words we use to explain our beliefs. How can they even be rightly called our beliefs?

Lord Jesus have mercy on us, the weak and sick representatives of Your body on earth. Raise us to strength, and renew our souls.

The Guy Primp

While enjoying my nearly permanent residence in the University Library, I have had the opportunity to reflect on an interesting fact about my sex: We don't primp...or at least, we don't like people to know we primp. Earth shattering, I know...but there it is.

Why is this something I have noticed, of all places, in the library, you ask? Its simple: the library bathrooms offer a unique insight into this delicate difficulty that we men endure on a day-to-day basis. Allow me to enlighten you, and distract myself for a few moments...

You see, the men's bathrooms have a large mirror right next to the door inside of the facilities. This mirror, it is assumed, is offered to us in order to staighten up before returning to normal society, outside of the facilities. But, you see...we're men. We don't primp. You will not, on average, see a man standing in front of that mirror comfortably primping himself. Oh sure, maybe tucking in his shirt, straightening his tie, or something of that nature...but most of that can be handled at the mirrors in front of the sink. This isolated special mirror has but one purpose...and we men aren't generally comfortable with that purpose. At least, not publically.

You see, unlike the fairer sex, who are portrayed as constantly talking in the midst of primping in nearly every movie...if we must primp, it is not generally a social affair. Which is why, if you were to enter the men's bathroom in the Library, you might open the door tocatch the briefest flash of motion, as the man that was primping himself only moments ago tries to pretend he was stretching and not rearranging his hair. Because, after all, we are men.

We don't primp.

I should add that there is one instance I have experienced which seems to directly challenge this observation: when a group of guys are involved in a play, they generally seem to relax the "Cannot be seen primping" rule. I guess that comes with the wearing of make-up...if that rule can be bent, what rule must remain steadfast?

Sick-o

I have been sick.

See, when I type it, it sounds just fine. If you heard me say it, however, it would sound more like this; "Imb sig. Hack, cough, hack hack cough cough, moan, hack cough...etc"

And I cannot afford time off. For a multitude of reasons...time off isn't an option.

But, you know...when the going gets tough...the tough get going...assuming they aren't dying from some stupid cold that makes their heads feel like it will explode, while acid runs down my throat and my eyes burn...

Sigh.

I hate being sick. I was NOT made to be sick.

On the plus side...my wife got me the coolest beanie in the world. So my ears are warm...and that always makes you feel (somewhat) better.

Hack, Cough, Hack Hack Hack...

LOTR and Grading

I am listening to the soundtrack to the Lord of the Rings as I grade...a million papers...forever and ever and ever and ever...

Its fun, because the music keeps me entertained, focused...and a little inspired. As if, with each pen stroke, I was on some epic journey...

*Music crescendoing in the background*
"Parallel Wording. Parallel Wording!!! For the sake of Gondor and the West, Parallel Wording!!!"

Yes, well. I am going quicker though. So that's good, right?

Congrats to the Dems

Congrats, I feel, are in order.

I will probably go to sleep without knowing *for sure* the fate of the Senate, but I will go ahead and offer my Congratulations for their hard fought win. It seems that my predictions were, well, not on the money this time around. Can't win 'em all.

They won, and we lost. Such is life.

You see...this was an important election. I don't think its sour grapes to say that I believe our country will be in a worse place tomorrow than it was today. No, I cannot deny that I believe that to be the truth.

But this election isn't the final election, whatever that might look like. It was one election. I have not spent much time ranting about it, because it didn't honestly bother me all that much. I suppose that is in part because I believe the sides have already been drawn, and our nation needs to decide if we are beyond saving or not. I don't believe there is a way to "solve" the current conflict, nor do I believe that there is a "way out", as if any one country encapsulated the current conflict.

You see...there is an ideological war being waged against the ideology of our civilization. We can choose to ignore it, but that won't make it go away. We can run from it...but that doesn't mean it won't come looking for us in the dark of the night.

And I think that reality will sink in...even if it costs us something in the present. And, when that reality DOES sink in...the party of action will be recalled to power, just as good old Winnie was called out of near retirement when the politics of appeasement were finally exposed for the brutal failure they are in the late 1930's.

And so...the Democrats control the House, and possibly the Senate.

Alright.

They won with promises of cures through the "Science" of Stem Cell research. They won with promises of "ending" the corruption of politics (this, coming from a party with leaders like Harry Reid, caught in a land scheme just last month...). They won with the promise of solving our international problems by getting us out of Iraq--that "Second Vietnam" they are so eager to denounce. Yes, they "won." And we lost.

They "won", after 4 elections in 6 years with a narrow margin. Not exactly a sweeping "Blue Wave", but who's keeping track?

Heh. I know, this sounds dramatic. Well, sometimes something as silly as politics is dramatic.

The Only Issue

This, posted at Rush's site, is a truly great article by a Democrat. Its, well, just right on.

Do your Civic Duty!

Vote!

I did.

Well, its probably too late to do anything about it if you haven't already...but if you didn't, just remember, you are doing your part to contribute to the Suicide of Thought and the Death of the West.

Yeah. They should make political ads with that tag line. Heh.

The Sanctity of Marriage

There are plenty of jokes that can, and I have no doubt, WILL be made about this.

But still...even as I prepare to make my own little jab ("If these two can't make it, what hope do the rest of us have!??!?!"), I have to reflect...this is the sad state that the sanctity of marriage has sunk to in our society.

It used to be...this would be the end--you'd be tossed out of society for being, well, just bad people. Today, its basically the reason Britney is in the news.

Sigh.

Whatever happens...

This makes me happy.

Blasted L.A.

I need some weather.

Real weather.

Rain, wind, thunder, lightening.

You know; weather!

WEATHER!!!!

But, no.

I live in L.A.

No weather for me.

Sigh.

The Magic Numbers

To say that this Fall has been busy would be a vast understatement.

Its been a refreshing change of pace--the last time I was this pressed for real work was during the last couple of weeks of my B.A., and I began to feel as if I was going to be totally out of practice if and when I finally managed to push on towards Graduate work, in some as-of-yet unspecified field of study (either history or philosophy...but who knows?)

Well, my fears were unfounded. Since the coffee slinging phase of life ended, I have been blessed with plenty of good, old-fashioned student-like work. Reading, reading, reading...the only thing missing is the writing, but I make up for that by leading session. That might as well be working on a paper, since without structure and forethought I will be dismally dull...but with some prep work, sessions are getting progressively better in every class (Funny story--today, I had such a good class that, as I walked out and preparred to jet down the 5 freeway to lead a session in Rancho Santa Margarita, when I got scolded by a site administrator for bringing my Roman Gladius to my class, I didn't even really care. That was a good class!)

Anyways...as I was saying--my fears, they were unfounded. Wow, were they unfounded.

Because, you see, I let a week pass by without grading a paper, as Sheri was out-of-town at a wedding...and boy, was that a mistake.

Now, with about a week and a half left in this Quarter...I have roughly 320 papers to grade.

Heh. Bring 'em on! Fortunately, about half of them are rewrites of papers I have already graded, so getting those graded shouldn't be a real headache. And it is encouraging to see some of the original mistakes corrected, and grades getting better. But even averaging 5 minutes per paper, I am looking at a total of about 1600 minutes of work in front of me, while reading G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy. That works out to be roughly 26 hours and 40 minutes of work. So, really, just half a "regular" week's work. Not that bad, if I can actually grade a paper every 5 minutes.

Piece of cake.

Brilliant

Got this from Hugh Hewitt's blog. Its fantastic.

The Land of a 1000 Political Posts

With one week to go before the election, the political frenzy is going to be ridiculous. Well, far be for me to neglect my contribution to the blood bath.

I like to think of myself as an amateur politican. I vote. I comment. I critique. But I am not a Pol. I am just a teacher, who is a history nut and an amateur politician. To be a Pol, you'd have to contribute...and though I would love to do so...I know I haven't yet.

BUT, that doesn't mean I can't blog about this mess--and so I gladly plunge into the fray!

First, for those of you tuning in for the first time...I'm a Republican. And I'm a believer in peace through strength. I am generally a fiscal conservative, and I am definately a social conservative.

I think going to Iraq was perfectly legal, and that we did the best that we could when the question was before us. We need to stay in Iraq because abandoning the liberated Iraq to the chaos would be the only true failure of this war. It would be a waste of the lives that have been spent trying to establish a truly free society in a land filled with tyrants and oppression.

Yes--I am one of those Republicans.

Elections are interesting things. It seems to me that there is a problem with the approach the Left has taken with elections. They have persisted with denying the legitimacy of the party in power--in an attempt to gain political capital, instead of focusing on building a political message. The problem with this is...when you go around for 6 years claiming that the party in power is in power because they control everything and cheat in ways that we, the regular joes, could never prevent...if you win power after 6 years, what does that mean? If its impossible for the people in power to win without cheating...and you insist that they always cheat...and you beat them...doesn't that only mean that you cheated better than they did?

Sigh. This is the can of worms Al Gore opened up with his contesting claim. And the fact that recounts clearly gave it to Bush was ignored...once a shot is fired, it cannot be recalled.

Ah well; here is point of my "political" post: a prediction. Yes, I will put my money where my mouth is. With one week before the election, and very little chance of anything occuring to change the results, I will predict that the Republicans will prevail next Tuesday. I will allow for the loss of the House...but even that seems unlikely to me, and the Dems will definately not gain the Senate. I believe the Democrats have vastly over-estimated their "sweeping blue wave", which is supposed to cover the country. That is my prediction.

We'll see. The great thing about politics, when you consider them long enough, is that they don't matter as much as the media would have us believe (at least, in one respect). Its not life and death if for the next two years the Republicans are without power, neither will it be a golden age if they remain in power.

So, in a sense, one can make predictions about it as one would with a ball game. I've got the Republicans for a Hail Mary, late in the Fourth Quarter.

Mr Anon.

So apparently I have visitor.

An "anonymous" visitor. An anonymous visitor with interesting ideas about what I write...well, interesting might be too strong a word...but nonetheless...

I wonder who got so upset by my magnificent brilliance that they decided to go through the trouble of word verification to leave me...well, spam, in the comments. Well, I salute you, Mr Anonymous. Keep on...doin' whatcha do...

Adult Rating

A common theme for my classes seems to be taking responsibility. From my students getting their work done on time, to me getting their work graded on time...responsibility, responsibility, responsibility.

The funny thing is, of course, that even typing something like responsibility and grading in the same sentence seems to be a little over-dramatic. It is, afterall, grading papers. Its not saving the world, its grading papers. Still...it IS only grading papers, and I am not always responsible enough at my meager task.

Heh. Responsibility...that was always the negative part of growing up. Remember? When you get older, you get more privileges...and therefore more responsiblities. Ever wish you could get one and not the other?

My wife enjoys watching "Grey's Anatomy"...which is essentially today's version of E.R., with soap-opera-esque relationships, centered around (very loosely around) medicine. I'll admit--I watch now with her, as we make our way through the saga of the surgical interns in Seattle (speaking of which...man, I wish I lived in Seattle...)

Anyways, I was watching the show with Sheri the other night, after a rather frustrating day at my job (grades, schedules, etc) and it occured to me that I could, in some way, relate to the stories of the young doctors that braved the world of surgery and romance all at once. You see...they were in school for years, years and years and years...prepping for the moment that they would be doing it "for real". And though it seems as if now that they were finally "doing" the job, they would be only happy, and only excited, and confident...they aren't. And that is, in large part, because the process of becoming an adult is not encapsulated in an education. There's more to it than that; the first time the rubber meets the road, there lingers in the mind of the driver the question, "What if my first time driving becomes the worst wreck ever?"

I looked up at Sheri and shared my revelation...and then paused as I realized something even cooler--that while I can relate to the stress of these fictional characters on some level (while they're performing brain-surgery I am grading papers...so, not a complete parallel, but close), my lovely wife, who is in medicine, can entirely relate. Lives ARE actually, more and more, in her hands. It sounds silly to say that I realized this freshly, as she's in the middle of her second year of nursing school...but I did. My wife is...well, amazing...and quite an adult.

I know--this sounds incredibly cheesy. But its true...there's a moment (at least one), in the process of becoming an adult, that will cause you to question whether or not you are actually prepared for the challenge or not. Being able to face that moment is, I think, one of those dramatic instances that determine whether or not you will ever be an adult, really. Its all part and parcel of becoming a person that takes responsibility for the choices we make--even difficult ones. I have had a conversation recently with some people that would like to suggest that attending one college over another reflected the manipulation of controlling parents. All of that seems merely an excuse for people trying to avoid the moment I am addressing in this post. Being an adult means many things...but certainly the least of them is that we are the ones responsible for the choices we make...and we must choose whether or not we will risk failure by attempting to succeed.

Perhaps that's the most discouraging thing to observe about our society today...we don't want adults...because adults don't get to blame other people, and we don't get to avoid making decisions that impact others in serious ways. And that's a hard reality. We like blaming others for our problems, we prefer to say its someone else's fault. We'd prefer to always have adults taking care of us, but to never be the adults ourselves. But we need more adults...we need people who take responsibility for their own decisions, their own jobs, their own lives.

So...I'll be grading papers.

On the Radio, in Session

Oh, Regina...

This is how it works

It feels a little worse

Than when we drove our hearse

Right through that screaming crowd

While laughing up a storm

Until we were just bone

Until it got so warm

That none of us could sleep

And all the styrofoam

Began to melt away

We tried to find some words

To aid in the decay

But none of them were home

Inside their catacomb

A million ancient bees

Began to sting our knees

While we were on our knees

Praying that disease

Would leave the ones we love

And never come again

On the radio

We heard November Rain

That solo's really long

But it's a pretty song

We listened to it twice

'Cause the DJ was asleep

This is how it works

You're young until you're not

You love until you don't

You try until you can't

You laugh until you cry

You cry until you laugh

And everyone must breathe

Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works

You peer inside yourself

You take the things you like

And try to love the things you took

And then you take that love you made

And stick it into some

Someone else's heart

Pumping someone else's blood

And walking arm in arm

You hope it don't get harmed

But even if it does

You'll just do it all again

And on the radio

You hear November Rain

That solo's awful long

But it's a good refrain

You listen to it twice

'Cause the DJ is asleep

On the radio (oh oh oh)

On the radio On the radio - uh oh

On the radio - uh oh

On the radio - uh oh

On the radio

Jesus: The Super-Fact

"Well, really, you know, I am not aware of a thirst for some ready-made truth which puts an end to intellectual activity in the way you seem to be describing. Will it leave me the free play of Mind, Dick? I must insist on that, you know."
"Free, as a man is free to drink while he is drinking. He is not free still to be dry."
The Ghost seemed to think for a moment. "I can make nothing of that idea," it said.
"Listen!" said the White Spirit. "Once you were a child. Once you knew what inquiry was for. There was a time when you asked questions because you wanted answers, and were glad when you had found them. Become that child again: even now."
"Ah, but when I became a man I put away childish things."
"You have gone far wrong. Thirst was made for water; inquiry for truth. What you now call the free play of inquiry has neither more or less to do with the ends for which intelligence was given than masturbation has to do with marriage."
"If we cannot be reverent, there is at least no need to be obscene. The suggestion that I return at my age to the mere factual inquisitiveness of boyhood strikes me as preposterous. In any case, that question-and-answer conception of truth only applies to matters of fact. Religious and speculative questions are surely on a different level."
"We know nothing of religion here: we think only of Christ. We know nothing of speculation. Come and see. I will bring you to Eternal Fact, the Father of all other facthood."

Ah, Lewis.

Desire is such a tricky thing...the moment it is satisfied, desire is gone. And when has man ever been content with what he has? Given enough time, a man can become desirous of desire itself. At that point, what can satisfy him? What will ever satisfy him? Only perpetual desire...forever wanting something unattainable...and so we are lost in a tempest of our own making.

This is the beauty of the Christian faith. Behold, how beautiful is our Savior! Through salvation, we do not gain an independent life, or an answer from which we can draw self-sufficient meaning--neither do we open the door to meaningless questions for the sake of always seeking for an answer. No--salvation from ourselves awakens a new life--a life forever revolving around our wonderful Savior. He is our answer, He drives our questions; He Is. And because He Is, we have hope that Heaven might actually be the home our souls have yearned for all along. Rest for the restless combined with a relationship with the unknowably knowable God.

Because He Is, we can dare to ask all questions, always earnestly seeking the answers--without fearing what those answers might be. More than that--we can ask questions, knowing that every answer only reveals more questions to ask of The Truth. Perhaps this is one of the keys to our eternal happiness? Man is always a fool; sometimes content to allow a simple answer to suffice when it is clear the answer only reveals the need for more questions, other times asking empty questions without any regard for a real answer...or worst of all finding an answer and, missing the desire for the answer so much, he cannot appreciate what he has found.

Yet, our Savior, The Fact, "the Father of all other facthood," can calm even this storm. His answers are simple enough that we can rest in them for what they are; they are complex enough that we will never lack for questions. And in the person of Christ, we discover a paradox: the unattainable promise given freely, forever satisfying while simultaneously forever calling us on; "Further up, Further in!"

An adventure without end. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Do I exist?

My classes have been working on the problem of definitions of late. Somedays I think they want to jump me when they come up with a word to explain the word they were trying to define, and I ask them what that word means. For example:

Me: What is truth?
Them: Truth is a fact.
Me: OK. What's a fact?
Them: Facts are reality.
Me: Fine. What's reality?
Them: AHHHHHHHH! Kill Mr. Leigh!!!!

The other day I encountered a question that, though I doubt it would do them much good, still deserves asking...If you're walking out of a building with an automatic door opener (based on a motion detector) and as you walk confidently towards the outside, fully expecting the door to open...it doesn't...does that mean you don't exist?

I never thought I would end up playing chicken with a door...and lose.

Sigh.

300

Wow.

Just...wow.

Looking forward to 2007!

Proselytize those Bears!

Sheri has been teaching Aiden to pray before going to bed. Though he doesn't quite get it, we think the lesson is definately making an impression...

You see, tonight, as Momma and Aiden prepared to go to bed, Aiden was sitting with Momma and he pointed to his bear on the bed. Momma let him go get it, and watched as Aiden held the bear's paws together (as Momma does with Aiden's hands) and mumble his half-speech to the bear, ending with his abrupt version of "Amen", and releasing the paws. Aiden then insisted on going out of the bedroom, collecting the rest of his several stuffed animals, and guiding them through their nightly prayers as well. He is currently sleeping with every stuffed animal that he owns, all of them covered with the prayers, such as they are, of our son.

Being a Dad is just a great, great thing. And, apparently, the stuffed bear population in our house will be baptized believers about the same time as Aiden.

Ah, school...

Sometimes grading a massive amount of papers throughout the dead of night can be...tiring. Alright; its always tiring.

Still, it is actually a lot of fun to see how these students of mine are responding already to instructions I gave them on their last assignments. The original assignment (a Precis on Mere Christianity) was not a great triumph for most of them. I am still having to reassure parents that everything is "ok" and that their children will survive failing a paper or two in order to become people that can write something worth reading.

And the proof is in the pudding, as they say. The reflection essays I am grading aren't exactly fantastic (though, I rush to admit, I was rereading some of my old Pull Questions from my second year in Torrey and, wow...they were not good at all...not at all...ick.) but they do show a development of thought already since their last papers. And that's encouraging. I am locked away in the Library for the night, without much variety in my reading material...but at least its getting better, and not worse.

And of course, grading affords me the opportunity to be the subject of speculation...am I susceptible to bribery? A question for the ages...

Wicked

I have been listening to the soundtrack of Wicked of late. And with my discussion on the nature of Good and Evil with my students fresh in my head...this is a lot of fun.

What is evil? Where does evil come from? How does one become wicked?

More importantly...how does one get tickets to New York to go see Wicked on Broadway?

**In the days since I started this post, I have discovered that Wicked is coming to L.A. this winter. So, maybe the cost of going to Broadway won't be as much as earlier anticipated...**

The power of The Way, The Truth, The Life

I love our church.

All debate about high church versus low church aside, God is worshipped there and I believe the hearts of the men and women there are open to be challenged to the life of faith. That's a good place to be...and I love it.

Today we talked in our Bible Study about the recent comments by the Pope about Islam. Now, while the question of whether or not the Pope was out of line, or should apologize is not something I want to discuss (I think what he said was perfectly within the realm of acceptable statements from the leader of a division of the Christian faith...mainly, that where Islam differs from Christianity is not good, and that Islam is not Christian...which one might think goes without saying, but...whatever...).

What I DO want to discuss is something else. The leader of our group this Sunday brought a recording from a recent interview with an Iranian pastor in Canada, formerly a leader in Hezbollah. I think that his conversion story and opinion of the God he now serves is something all Christians should hear...I only wish I had a link to the audio or a transcript. If I can track one down, I'll share it. But here are my thoughts on what was said.

His testimony was amazing. While in prison, he led fellow muslims in worship. One day he said that he knew the presence of God had come to him, even literally tapped him on the shoulder...and that rather than destroying him, this presence told him the truth of the gospel, a book the young man had never previously read. He spoke through the tears in his voice as he remembered what it was like to know that God was near, to actually hear this presence tell him that what he sought was not Allah, but The Way, The Truth, The Life--an idea unthinkable in Islam, but central to Christianity.

Then the interviewer asked this pastor's opinions on what was happening in Israel between the Israelis and Hezbollah recently. The pastor summed up the long question asked of him by asking if the interviewer wanted to know what he thought it would take to end terrorism in the world. He answered...the love of Christ.

The love of Christ will end terrorism.

This is so contrary to our thinking, I could not help but be challenged:
Peace through strength!
But that's the role of the state. We're the church, and an opposing idea in the world today is currently ready and willing to kill to spread their beliefs and challenge ours. Do we fight back?

No. We don't...or, we shouldn't. I am not, of course, a pacifist. If God had not had other plans, I would currently be serving our nation in the military. But since its become clear that that is not the road for me to walk...I have had to wonder how I can effect a change in this world, how I can try to bring about peace. And this pastor, who sought God truly and found The Way, The Truth, The Life...this pastor sees clearly the answer I have been seeking.

The love of Christ can change the world. Not end sin, not banish poverty, not eliminate death...this world must end--paradise is for the next life, not this one. But I wonder if we really remember that? If we lived as if that were true, and lived as if we believed that for this life, showing as many people as possible the love of Christ were the greatest joy and priority...would this world continue as it is today?

I think we must believe it could not. So why aren't we living such a life?

A Little Yeast

I have been involved in putting on an amateur production of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" over these past few months. There are many themes being talked about throughout the play but, naturally, the political question that is raised in the play interests me immensely.

I wonder...is it possible to have a leader of men who has not compromised? If a leader has compromised, can he still be a good leader? Must a leader have the ambition to become the leader? Does that ambition translate into grasping for power that is not properly due to you? Power is a tricky thing...It exists, and a select few wield it. If you are a good man, but cannot get power without compromise, should you still try to get power? What about all the good you could do once you were in power--would that be negated by the initial sin it took to put you into a place that has power? Does political right and wrong boil down to the lesser of two evils? Does a political life involve sacrificing to maintain the ability to lead? If so, does that necessitate making certain sacrifices of one's personal beliefs in order to lead the nation at large? Does one indiscretion ruin a man for all practical purposes?

If so...why have a government at all? If not...what does that say about what we believe about right and wrong?

Its the craziest thing in the world to be immersed in Oscar Wilde's thoughts, and find yourself in Plato's Republic.

Fidelity

(Shake it up)

I never loved nobody fully

Always one foot on the ground

And by protecting my heart truly

I got lost in the sounds

I hear in my mind

All these voices

I hear in my mind all these words

I hear in my mind all this music

And it breaks my heart

And it breaks my heart

And it breaks my heart

It breaks my heart

And suppose I never met you

Suppose we never fell in love

Suppose I never ever let you kiss me so sweet and so soft

Suppose I never ever saw you

Suppose we never ever called

Suppose I kept on singing love songs just to break my own fall

Just to break my fall

Just to break my fall

Break my fall

Break my fall

All my friends say that of course its gonna get better

Gonna get better

Better better better better

Better better better

I never love nobody fully

Always one foot on the ground

And by protecting by heart truly

I got lost

In the sounds

I hear in my mind

All these voices

I hear in my mind all these words

I hear in my mind

All this music

And it breaks my heart

It breaks my heart

Breaks my

Heart

Breaks my heart

~ Regina Spektor

My Country 'tis of Thee...

Sing, oh Muse...

I have spent most of this day trying to find the words. I have spent today trying to discover the best way to voice the thoughts that have been nearly bursting from my skull.

I am still not sure how to proceed.

I could follow the examples of others...and tell you where and what I was doing when our world changed. I could join still others in evaluating where we are now and what has changed for better or worse. I could give a defense of the path we have taken, I could argue for the path that still waits to be tread. I won't bother with those that would belittle it, or scorn its significance

But that doesn't seem fitting. Speaking of my memories seems so...small when one considers the epic events of 5 years ago. Talking policy seems too heartless, and even I get tired of fighting that fight.

So...what to do? How do I honor those innocent dead? How do I challenge us to stand with honor in the place of those that gave their lives for the victims? How do I urge us to grieve for those that have lost so much and are asked to give still more? How can I call us to demand that there be a reckoning for such violence? Can my voice even be heard crying for a real, meaningful peace?

No...in the end, I think I am just a hobbit, lost in the tumult of Middle Earth's great saga. So what can I say, let alone do, to pay homage to those heroes of this all-to-hero-less age?

In the end...I am at a loss in the face of trying to encompass it all...and all I can do is reflect on the life that I spent this day, five years after the disaster. Perhaps I could have done nothing better with my day than what I did do with it. I went to my job, and talked about how best to lead a discussion on Genesis, and why logic is important, and how wisdom is the knowledge of God and the source of life itself. I sat in on two and a half hours of discussion on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and I drove my wife to a bible study. I honked my horn in support of the small groups of men, women and children I passed on my way to and fro, holding flags on street corners. I listened to radio tributes and songs dedicated to those that were lost...and teared up at traffic lights. I bought a bible. I behaved as (practically) only an American can, and as practically everyone should be able to behave. Can I do more?

My heart wants to rend and a song wells up in me; I feel I will shatter with the force of it, but I am no Emrys, no Wizard, no Elf, and I don't know the words...

Sweet land of Liberty, of Thee I sing!

There must be something said...to those that had their lives cut short by madmen 5 years ago, to those that gave their lives trying to save those that were doomed, to those that have given their lives since that fateful day trying to bring those murderers to justice and prevent them from being able to wreak death and destruction on innocent civilians...and of course, to all those that continue to stand for liberty and justice, and who walk the line for us every day and night...to those children of this nation of Free Men, I pay tribute. It may not amount to much...but I do pay you tribute, and I will continue to live the life of a civilian of a free land. I will sing of the land where ideas are discussed; where God is worshipped and men may live in peace with other men that they may never agree with. This country has its faults, God knows, but it is a blessed nation, one that has shed light on much of the world.

Even still, Come, Lord Jesus, Come. This world is growing darker with the hour, and we yearn to follow You to the Kingdom of Summer, to dwell in the light of Your face forever.

Pictures from our week with Kari Kipp

There we are, on our way to a semi-hike to a water-trickle.

It was a lot of fun, despite the less than spectacular ending

The German and myself.

All the men on this trip, together...and wading in the water-trickle.

The German and me enjoying the water-trickle.

Clearly a religious experience...Aiden...being cool.

Aiden, flirting with an engaged woman.

More flirting...with mud. Clearly having a positive effect...

Throwing rocks with Kari

Aiden with Paul.

And us.

More pictures from our week with Kari Kipp

The Orange County Fair = animals and hay
Animals, hay and Theresa
A group shot...with animals and hay...
I like being surrounded by attractive people...
See above caption...
Aiden versus Baby Goat!

If only that fence weren't there, it might have been a good match

Picture Time

You might think us cruel...except that he wanted to put the clips in his hair...

"I want to be a cowboy, ba-by"

There must have been a time in history when the definition of "hat" was up for debate. My son is clearly wanting to reopen that long dead discussion...and apparently he wants to do so via cell-phone.

We had a picnic...ants came...it was very exciting.

Awwww--we so cute.

"I come in peace!"

This is why moms are heroes. They go right into the line of fire...for a picture.

Yes?

Privacy issues...

A Note From Your Contributor

This blog has been editted to reflect better judgement and the influence of a very sensible wife. We, the management, hope that our previous post has not offended anyone too much and hope that you continue to read our "Blog". Thanks, and have a nice day.

Must...Focus...

I have had a long day. Tomorrow will be longer. 17 hours, roughly.

But right now, I am in the library, listening to lectures by the good Doctor, and trying to complete proofreading exercises.

And as much as I want to finish the exercises...I cannot seem to finish a paragraph. I did just finish a shift at Starbucks, so the caffeine might have something to do with it. I don't usually have things with caffeine while working anymore...it kept keeping me up till 1 and 2 in the morning...which is hard when Aiden wakes up by 5:30, 6 in the morning.

Sigh.

On a slightly fun note...though it wasn't the dramatic liberating moment I was anticipating, I have apparently turned in my two week notice at Starbucks. I hadn't realized that I had done so...but thats fine with me. No more coffee for me. I am actually not on the schedule after this week. So its time, finally, to get another extra job. A couple hours of tutoring history or something of that nature. But no more Starbucks!

Waiting on the World...

to Change?

Sigh.

John Mayer has captured one of the central flaws of my generation in a song.

Seriously...Sigh. I am depressed everytime I think about this song--which is unfortunate, because musically its quite nice. But the lyrics that are oh-so-easy to sing-a-long with are...evil. That's right...evil...EeeeeVIL ("pinky finger to the lip" evil).

Alright...I'll retract the "EVIL" branding. The lyrics are not diabolical. They're just kinda sad and pathetic. And its receiving the sort of buzz that old rallying songs used to receive--like the Beatles' Revolution.

"it's not that we don't care, we just know that the fight ain't fair"

I mean, what is that? The only hopeful part about the stupid song is that this is the tried and true way to NOT impact the world...so hopefully my kids will be running things and John Mayer's kids will be singing songs about them for years to come.

Apathy--the new rejection of the system!

I hope that John Mayer is being cleverly ironic; singing a song about how the world behaves--and challenging it by singing a song "lauding" its vices...but I don't have much hope for that kinda of clever song-writing.

A Good Action

I am taking part in this, as are others.

If you have the time I would encourage you to involve yourself in this. Perhaps our words don't matter very much in the grand scheme...but there is value in stopping to remember those slain innocents.

Why is History Important?

We had our first "High Table" session this past Tuesday. The "High Table" references the tradition at Oxford and, essentially, its where the Dons sit. Its the High Table, and the students sit at the regular tables. Well, our High Table draws on that tradition, because its for us, the teachers; notably our time at the High Table is not just meal-time, but is a session for us, the tutors.

Its a lot of fun.

This time we talked about Genesis. Mr Bartel led it, and the question he asked was a variation of the question I asked in the title of this post...What is the point of memory?

Now...recreating our discussion would be neither interesting or helpful. But it was, I think, a worthwhile question...and I keep thinking about it over 24 hours later--which is always a good sign.

So...why is memory important? What is the point of history? I can (and did) give the typical historian's reason for the importance of history...but why do we want to keep what happened so long ago fresh in our minds? Why does God make that important (there are numerous references to the heritage of Faith and the history of God's faithfulness throughout the Scriptures)?

Ultimately...why do we want to know our history?

I know what you're thinking; "Chris, I don't want to know our history...its boring and I have better things to do."

I say that's a bunch of bunk. You have been taught wrong. Your teachers have failed you, and you should file a complaint. Better yet, read more and go back and teach in their place--so that your children won't be ruined like you were ruined. But I digress.

You DID and probably still actually DO want to know your history. Why do I know this to be true? Because, unless you're truly braindead and insulated from all society, you go to the movies, you watch TV and you read books. Why do you do these things?

Is it because you literally have nothing better to do with your time? With the exception of reading books, that's patently false.

Or perhaps you think that you are drawn to these stories for some inane reason, that stands alone, unconnected with the rest of humanity, time, space, etc? That's also quite wrong.

No--you interact with those stories because you want to know. You want to touch the stories that tell us who we are and what we are becoming. And that is exactly what history is--you just don't know it yet.

You go in search of those stories because when you see Tom Hanks pinned down on that beach in Saving Private Ryan you feel something stirring inside you that touches something you don't quite understand...but whether you know it or not, it connects you with the men that endured that awful morning. They were men, and you are man (in the genus sense). And when you hear their stories...you begin to perceive a little bit of your place in time, space, etc. You connect--and that matters almost more than anything else. In connecting you are reaching into the soul of humanity...and in the soul of humanity vaccum left by our separation from God. There resides the question that moves all other questions. When you delve into these stories, or better still into history itself, you hit upon a direct line to your heritage as Adam's offspring...and you connect once again to the ancient relationship between Creator and creation.

If that's not worth studying...I don't know what is.

Por Que?

Yes, the question is..."Why?"

Why...why do we spend the months before the child arrives "child-proofing" our home with little extra latches and locks on all sorts of things he is not supposed to get into, because they will kill, maim, cripple, poison, or generally cause harm to him. And now, though his inability to discern what objects/chemicals represent a true threat to his person has NOT increased, one of his toys is a lock and latch board...with various locks and latches for him to play with and learn to handle.

So...we spend money buying locks and latches. And now, we are teaching him to make those locks and latches a waste of time and money. Why?

I think my wife was just trying to make it harder for me to open cabinets in my house.

I know I've said it before...

but my job is great.

No, seriously, my job is incredible.

We are only doing orientation stuff and I am wildly excited about this job. How many job's orientation weeks involve hours of discussions on the nature of education, the importance of the tripartite soul, and the value of self-examination/critical thinking, etc.? Haw many work places are filled with people that care passionately about the subjects of their labor?

I used to think those questions were cheating. Obviously discourse is not central to every job, but surely people don't settle into jobs that they are either indifferent towards, or even despise, I thought to myself.

Oh, my naive self.

But now...wow, do I have a good job. I'm happy.

Being Dad

Its ironic.

Aiden has been a real trooper. He's been lugged halfway to kingdom come by two crazy parents experimenting (from his point of view) with all the possible ways they can mess with his sense of a schedule. They have been quite successful, stretching him to the very limits. He has had some meltdowns along the way, but overall, he's been amazing. The hardest part has been sleeping.

For some reason, he can actually fall asleep...until we come to bed. And then he wakes up. And he cries. He won't stop crying. And he stiffens and arches and cries. Its not pretty.

But it is ironic.

Well, tonight is the night before I go away for a week to try and love kids whose parents were too selfish to love their own children. I will be the first to admit that when its 1 a.m. and I should have gone to sleep a couple hours ago and Aiden decides to declare WWIII, I am not often happy. But...tonight...it was a little different. Now, to be clear: I am not a saint (as if that needed saying); but it occured to me as he began to cry and I realized that sleep was not to be quite yet...how can I love other people's kids in the hard times if I cannot love my own during his? I need to be patient with him and find out what's wrong with him...not merely get mad and go sleep on the couch to avoid his moments of crying (something I frequently do actually do).

So I have been sitting with a kid who is (thank God!) not crying, but won't let me put him down for about half an hour now. He's just holding me...as if that was the reason he was crying to begin with; he wasn't where he belonged, in Daddy's arms. And in a sense...that's true. He wasn't, and now he is...and things aren't so bad afterall.

Being a Dad can be tough...I have never been as tired as I have perpetually been over the last two years...but there are undeniable perks.

Royal Family Kids' Camp

I will be gone this week, working at the Royal Family Kids' Camp hosted by our church. In the meantime, my family will be enjo-I mean struggling with my absence. So please keep them in your prayers. Sheri is getting ready to return full-time to the nursing program (year two) at Biola, and is very excited about getting geared up for that...and it would be easier to do that if she weren't flying solo for the week before classes start. Aiden is gearing up to run around the house and have a great time...and it will probably be easier to make messes now that there aren't four hands/eyes/feet etc to prevent him from wreaking havoc. Seriously though, just keep them in prayers, if you would, that they will be safe and have a really great week together. And if you remember me, pray for me. I have been sick this last week, and this coming week looks to be rather tiring. Pray that I can stay healthy and be energetic for the kids, and that the kids themselves will be touched by the love of Christ throughout the week.

Thanks all.

El Gran Tiburón Blanco

I have a sort of...morbid fascination? with sharks. And recently, I have had the opportunity to watch some documentaries on Great Whites. I am creeped out and awe-struck all at once.

I believe, almost actually, that I will die by shark...if only because I am more afraid of sharks than almost anything else on the earth. Not wimpy afraid, a a girl and a spider...I am just in awe of how fantastically lethal a Great White Shark is.

One of the highlights of my life was seeing a Great White Shark (lets face it, the Celebrity of the Shark world) face to face...with a very important, and thankfully very thick piece of glass between us. She was like nature's version of a stealth bomber. You could see her when she was directly in front of you, and then she would disappear once she had passed even a few feet away...only to glide back into your line of site a few moments later. The other fish didn't disappear. Just the Great White. And the symmetry of her lines...I have never seen anything so deliberately built for hunting and killing. There were other sharks in the tank with her...they looked like regular fishes in comparison to the Great White. It was amazing.

I loved it...but I cannot understand the guys that go out (as the guys in the documentary did) and stand in a little motor boat throwing blood and meat into the water, and using a stick or a line to tempt Great Whites to get right up next to their miniscule boat and start thrashing. Crazy. Insane. Remember the famous line? "We're going to need a bigger boat." I watched two crazy people do their best to tempt the most lethal creature in nature as it tore a 500 lb seal to ribbons. The shark was over two tons! And their cameras captured the whole thing...the seal is just floating around, looking for something...the water looks nice enough...and then, from beneath the seal, a dark shadow starts to appear...and by the time you can make out exactly what it is...its too late. Death has literally just swam up and eaten you. Yeah, I wanna go out in a dingy and take pictures of THAT. Crazy!

I can imagine the discussion on one of those boats...they're talking to the camera..."Observe the shark, stalking its prey...so naturally capable of killing it seems effortless. It stalks the deeps, nature's Stealth Bomber of the depths...(psst, Larry...the Shark is getting a little too close to the camera...) See the ultimate predator as it rips into its victim, its awesome jaws sawing through thick layers with an efficiency not seen anywhere else in nature...(Larry...now he's getting too close to the boat...pssst--Larry...start the engine! No gas? The shark bit the propeller and now it won't spin?...he's left the seal...what's he doing?) See the shark abandon his kill, seemingly interested in something els...!(Larry...why is the shark moving back towards the boat? Larry?!?!) *crash* See how the shark explores the intruders to his domain...(What do you mean "there's water in the boat"? What?!? The Shark has cracked the hull of the boat? *crash*)" A new voice finishes the segment..."See the shark as he re-establishes his complete dominance of the sea, conquering even those land dwellers reckless enough to tempt fate and the shark with their lives..."

Yeah...I wouldn't be in that boat. Still, I am convinced it'll be sharks that finish me off in the end...With my luck, I'll end up eating some Shark soup at a restaurant some day and choke to death...and prove myself a rather ironic prophet. At least my tombstone can read:

"Christopher Leigh; Husband, Father, Son. Death by Shark"

The crisis of reality...

Sad day, really. The political world was getting all geared up for a regular rhetoric hoedown. The talking points were ready, and history and fact were all limbered up to be distorted past recognition...and then those pesky terrorists had to go and validate everything!

The only question I have is this...how can a political party survive when this is how they behave when a moderate leader of their party (a man who was actually a VP candidate only 6 years ago!) cannot keep the support of his home base, but instead loses to a proclaimed supporter of appeasement and inaction? Its almost as maddening as Mike Wallace's revealed lack of moral conscience...apparently, if a madman is interesting enough, the situation changes.

Here's my real problem; we need a second voice. We need a debate. We need a left to my right. But the people leading today's Democratic party are insane. They have no depth perception...they are shallow and simple-minded fools that attribute everything to greed and believe everything can be solved if only we redistribute enough wealth. They cannot grasp the concept of people willing to destroy the world over an idea! There are strands of the old debate in that thinking, but the problem is the old Left did understand that social reform was only part of the answer: sometimes force is required. FDR got it. Truman got it. Kennedy even got it (to some extent--the Cuban Missle Crisis was his moment in the sun). Carter, Clinton, Gore, Kerry, et al; they don't get it. Some on the right seem to want to embrace Lieberman as if he was the long lost son of the Republican party--he's NOT, but at least he's a balanced Democrat who has a healthy perspective of the way the world is presently. Cutting him out is a message to the rest of the Democratic party--and to the nation: the Liberal Left no longer has a handle on the reality of the situation, and they cannot be trusted with the leadership of this nation. They will allow desperate men enough room to grow until we can no longer challenge them without cataclysmic results.

Beware America. I know I sound dramatic...but this is one of those delicate, dramtic moments in history where the wrong choice in something as trivial as a national debate can cost the world a price too high to pay.

High on Life!

A little extreme I suppose...I sound like one of those insane inspirational speakers, or something.

But I am notably better tonight than I was last night.

You see, I hate being sick. And last night...I was sick. Fever of 102, aching pretty much everywhere...I wished I was dead. Being sick doesn't reflect well on me...it makes me seem...ill.

I much prefer this current state. Wide awake at 2 AM and wanting to post on my blog, watching history documentaries on Churchill and Roosevelt. Much preferable to wishing I could disappear into the folds of my couch just so I would stop feeling the way I felt.

Of course...I could probably avoid being sick if I went to bed now. I leave with this final thought...Churchill was a giant to Roosevelt's ant-like character. Governments trade in PR but could become legendary if they affected real change. And late night television is unique in its ability to be simultaneously interesting and inane.

See...I get a new job, I like my life a little more...I start blogging more. Now if I get more readers...I might start believing I got the job because the world needed my blog. And they do...oh they do...

Wow...I'm tired...

Crash

Wow.

I had heard it was a good movie on the issues of racism and prejudice. I had no idea it actually WAS a good movie on those issues.

It was fantastic. So broad in its scope...so deep in its details. Just a really great film, with complex irony and level upon level of introspection.

I probably sound lame...but it was refreshing to see such a great representation of the problems that really DO affect us on a day to day basis. There is racism, as Crash presents it, everywhere and at work constantly. This is because we all work with people different from ourselves...and specifically when it comes to the issue of race, we have prejuidices in mind that we must decide to overcome (if we are to be good people) or are influenced by (if we allow our natural inclinations to rule us). There is a reason mankind divided when God introduced differences into the equation. We don't like to understand those that are not like us.

But the thing I think I saw best represented in Crash was the nature of racism. Racism comes about as a result of all those other issues (prejudices, stereo-types, history, etc). But at the moment, when the man or woman is acting on those racist emotions...he or she is not so different from any other bad man or woman committing an offense against another person. The only difference is the racist has, as his reason for acting against the specific individual he is acting against, race as a motivating factor. Still there are degrees of racists. They do not automatically become that special type of racist that would put entire races into concentration camps. The average racist is merely a man behaving badly towards a person or people of a particular race that he has (for one reason or another) decided is inherantly less good as a result of being "that race" (clearly a fool's opinion...but that's what a person acting on racism is...a fool--or at least, foolish).

The really interesting thing is...this reveals just how universal racism can be. These predispositions are everywhere. Its nearly impossible to avoid...because we ARE different, and when people differ from each other, they notice those differences and attribute problems to the presence of differences (whether there is a relation or not).

I don't know. I realize that this is a jumble of thoughts. I really appreciated the movie and I think that if the discussion on the issues of race were approached with a better understanding (an understanding akin to the understanding that I think the makers of Crash have) we would get further in bridging the gap between our differences.

You just wish...

...that you had my job.

Admit it.

You envy me.

Its understandable.

A beautiful wife.

An amazing son.

Devilish good looks.

Rapier-like wit.

Roguish charm.

I can hear you now; "Why does Chris get all the good stuff?" you ask yourself, bitterness welling up inside you. Shame on you.

Well, let me tell you--though all of the above is true, not everything is easy, even for me. I live in a small, old, and rather rundown apartment (despite our best efforts to make it home...we succeed, but since we can make this place comfy, just think about what we could do with a nice place!) I drive a gas guzzling, frequently broken Kia Sportage...and its white. And, I do live in a parking lot city, which has been forced into existence by man, though nature never intended a city to reside here.

For a while now, I would have been able to add the fact that I, a grown up by most estimations (based, if not on my youthful good looks and energetic enthusiasm, then on my current status in life) work with mostly kids making coffee. Sigh. It was a huge chink in my armor, a glaring fault in the midst of dazzling perfection...that's me.

But no more. I got a full-time new job...teaching...great...books.

That's right.

I read and talk for a living. I read things like LOTR and Mere Christianity. And talk. Hmmm...yeah, there's not much of a downside to that (grading papers not withstanding!)

I guess I cannot blame you for envying me. I envied me until I got this job.

This is so cool!

Coolest Starbucks Moment Ever

I have been meaning to relate this...its one of those moments that you have to hold on to, to keep you from going nuts in the midst of making 4000 Carmel Fraps a night...

So, we have this regular named Nick. Orders a Iced Venti Vanilla Latte, with 4 shots and whipped cream. As with all regulars, I like to be generous and also like to chat from time to time. One night, during the recent crazy heat wave, he came in, ordered the usual, and while waiting for his drink, I noticed that he had a cigar in his shirt pocket. We were talking, and he said that he enjoyed sitting, on occasion, outside, drinking his coffee and smoking a cigar. I said that, yes, that's good way to spend an evening, and that was the end of our discussion.

Couple weeks later...

Another, quite similar night, Nick the regular walks in and orders his usual. I am once again on the bar, and so I masterfully put his drink together. While I am topping it off with whipped cream, he asks me if I enjoy cigars. I say, yes, I have enjoyed them when I have smoked them (which is rare, but I have enjoyed them every time). He reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out an extra cigar and hands it to me, and tells me that he remembered talking with me and that I had mentioned how nice it was to sit, drink coffee and smoke a cigar--so he brought an extra to give to me! How cool is that?

I have the cigar sitting on my desk, waiting for the day I turn in my notice at Starbucks. Oh, and its coming soon!

New Job, New Times

So...

Sooooo...

My how plans can change. God has an interesting way of...shall we say...adjusting our plans as we go.

I have been hired on full-time as a tutor at the Torrey Academy, which functions under the STAR program at Biola University.

This is, really, a dream come true. I actually get to make a living reading books and talking about them. Not much of a living...it is, after all, Christian education, but a living nonetheless. My first full salary position (i.e. not paid by the week or hour, but by on a 10 month schedule).

The only down side, and it really is difficult for me to do, is that I have to resign my position at Santa Fe Springs Christian Middle School.

It is a disappointment...of a interesting nature. I was very much looking forward to the chance to work at that school. Still, I love this new job I have, and I have no doubt it will be ultimately incredibly fulfilling. I just feel bad about having to leave that school with only two weeks before the semester starts to fill that position.

Sigh.

Thank you Lord for the gift of this new job!

Been Busy

My last post was hardly an uplifting thought (though, of course, brilliant in its analysis). Unfortunately, I've been busy and the news has been anything but uplifting.

But, I was busy doing cool stuff, and since I am finally done with all that was happening in the last week, I thought it would be nice to finally post about it...Aiden permitting...

***Aiden did not permit...which is why this post, officially created on the 3rd of August is being posted on the 5th.***

So, what have we been up to? Well, we went to a wedding of good friends. They haven't risen from the private state of the newly married bliss (and good for them I say!), so the link does little more than point you in the direction--there's no update.

But while attending that wedding interesting things began happening. Our car decided that we had enjoyed too easy a time with it, having just dropped another $500+ on it, and the compressor for the AC went out. The wedding was in Fresno, during the worst heatwave of this Summer. The temperature in the shade was over 110 degrees, in the sun it felt like you were in an oven. More dear friends came to our rescue (we wouldn't have endured the trek to the wedding if not for their generosity) and lent us their new Toyota Camry. It was a nice ride. The outside world was burning in hell, but we were cruising inside in fantastic cool air, in a very comfortable car.

While out there, we stayed with another dear friend and her family, and as odd as it might sound...sleeping for a night at their house was the closest thing Sheri and I had enjoyed to a getaway vacation pretty much since the October before Aiden was born (well, there was the Christmas after he was born...I am not sure if I count that or not, but its still been about 2 years). 2 years! I cannot stress enough...getting away, even if its not the Ritz, is everything. We stayed in a normal home, ate normal food and did nothing much in particular...and I felt more rested and relaxed coming home to L.A. to go and work that night than I had in nearly 2 years. We are, needless to say, grateful for the haspitality of both a car and a room. They may seem like little things, but we have revived in no small part due to that mini-break of a day and a half outside of the ordinary.

Also, while we were on our mini-break, we managed to visit Saquoia National Forest and see the giant trees. Amazing. Really almost a holy place. God has done some amazing things with this world.

Then, about half a week after that adventure, we embarked on another. A friend from the past (how exciting does that sound?) came to visit us. We hadn't seen her in 6 years, but Kari Kipp is as wonderful as ever, and we had a great week with her catching up and essentially tiring ourselves out as much as possible. We hiked to a "waterfall", otherwise known as the trickle at the end of the trail aka Millard Falls in Altadena, we went to the OC Fair, to Crystal Cove State Beach, to Balboa Island, to San Louis Obispo, to W.R. Hearst Beach, to Pismo State Beach (tried camping...too much sand, too much wind...still got sand pretty much everywhere...), to Cambria, and a few other places. It was a full week. We literally couldn't manage to get up and go anywhere the last day...we were too tired. We had a lot of fun. We hung out with one of my good friends a couple of times, and generally just did as many fun things as we could manage.

We did so much stuff that at the end of the week...all of us were sick. Good times.

So yeah, that's what's been keepin me from the computer and blogging...real life. And its been good. I have become convinced that the surest way to go mad is to NOT plan a regular occasion for walking in the woods. I have also decided that I WILL immerse myself in something NOT related to the city on at least an annual basis...it was too good not to go back.

Support Israel!

I have been trying to figure out how best to make a comment about the current situation in the Middle East. I am too tired to give too many defenses of what I feel is the obvious course of action for our nation (and for any nation that would live free). But a couple of days ago, a friend asked a question that I did attempt to answer, and since then I haven't found a better way of approaching the issue. So, here is his question (in italics) and here's my answer (in plain text).

Palestinians on T.V. and Americans at home are asking two questions:
1) What exactly constitutes the distinction between criminal, terrorist, and enemy soldier?

Criminals...that's a tricky question. A good definition of an illegal enemy combatant would be someone that did not recognize or fulfill any of the conditions that confer legal status to combatants. A good question to ask when deciding if someone is defined as a criminal and law breaker is: with regard to which legal issues? Its hard to use legal labels on people that contest the basis of various systems of laws. Technically, if they never agreed to enter into the legal contract, and their nation never agreed to enter into a legal contract and recognize certain common laws...are they criminals? Hard to say. They aren't breaking laws they have agreed (even tacitly) to adhere to. At a certain point, most people seem to say, whether you agree or not, there is a rule of law and operating outside of it constitutes an illegal action, and whether you recognize the power of that law or not matters very little.

Terrorists could be summarized as being non-conventional combatants that target non-combatants, if not solely, than at least primarily, with a variety of potential end goals. That said, there terrorists and then there are terrorists. Domestic terrorists work against their nation's governmental system--again, targeting in a deliberate fashion non-combatants. International terrorists work against other nation's governmental systems, usually apart from their own nation's forces and targeting non-combatants with their efforts.

I would note that this would eliminate the suggestion that Washington and crew fall into the category of "terrorists". Being *unrecognized* doesn't make you a terrorist...its attacking civilians that makes you a terrorist. Guerilla warfare is often associated with terrorism, because guerillas don't use conventional warfare...but I think there is a definite distinction between guerillas and terrorists.

Enemy soldiers are conventional soldiers of a state. I think the key term is soldier...to be a soldier implies actual enlistment in a formalized military. Generally they wear uniforms. Certainly their actions can be attributed to the decisions of the state.

I would classify members of al Qaeda and Hezbollah as terrorists. They operate primarily against civilians, with political aims as their end goal. They are not guerillas. They are not enemy soldiers. They are illegal combatants/criminals.

2) What are the roles and rules for American/coalition/Israeli forces operating against the combatants listed in question 1?

Well, our policy should be fairly straightforward. To not support Israel would be a disastrous back-flip in the face of serious confrontation of our official international policy, to say nothing of catering to what can only be considered terrorists whilst turning our backs on one of our staunch-est allies. The terrorists have as an end goal a plan that will launch the widest spread conflict since WWII. With Iranians and Syrians supporting the fighters in Lebanon, if Israel does what it is prepared to do, the entire Middle East becomes a shooting gallery. We must side with Israel, purposely and pre-emptively, so that everyone knows that we're ready to go to the mattresses over this. Appeasement will not avert disaster...stating clearly that we stand ready to go to war over Israel's right to defend itself from terrorists just might though.

There's a lot in play with this situation. Our international policy, via the Bush doctrine, has shifted to one of pre-emptive intervention should the need arise to maintain our security and peace. A war in the Middle East constitutes a serious problem. More than that, I wonder how long any amount of meetings with French diplomats will prevent Iran from pushing the nuclear envelope if they are gearing up for an all out conflict with Israel, as the Iranian president has repeatedly stated he is ready and waiting to do.

China and Russia support Iran. N. Korea is hardly in need of an excuse to position itself against our allies. Pakistan doesn't like Israel, and they are also nuclear. Its no secret that the Middle East is only waiting for a spark to explode. It doesn't help that, even after Israel has withdrawn from the Gaza Strip and conceded quite a lot to people that use terrorism tactics, the attacks don't stop. Defenders of free societies should be united against anyone that stands against Israel right now.

As to your question about how to deal with terrorists and how they can be "brought to justice"...I would say this...terrorists can be captured and held accountable to the laws of the wider international community. More importantly, the states that complacently tolerate or encourage and actively sponsor terrorists can be held accountable to legal standards of the international community. I think more needs to be done than that, since the legal consequences of breaking the rules of the international community usually amount to sanctions...but it can be done. I think our approach to Afghanistan and Iraq is a great example of the way to handle nations with ties to terrorism. Both were handled legally, and we chose to use the resources available to us to see to it that the law was upheld (something most nations don't care to do...)

I am man....hear me roar!

Lately I have read 10 minutes of GK Chesterton's Everlasting Man every night at work. Its wonderful. It makes me feel civilized. It makes me feel sane. It makes me feel...like a man.

Not feel masculine...I don't need help with that. No; it makes me feel like a man.

HuMan.

To Reason...or Not.

"Regardless, he's still a jackass."

I was completely shocked. How can anyone be comfortable living in a world where their summation of an argument is something so concise and final as the dismissive "Regardless, he's still a jackass." Not an answer. Not a counter-argument. Just dismissal.

Regardless.

Hmph.

I have heard of these types of people...but this was my first personal encounter. I revealed to yet another person in my workplace that I am, indeed, a Republican. This was greeted with forseeable distaste, and then Bush-bashing. "That man is the worst President ever--he's a jackass!" Summarizing the war as a family thing, all about oil, etc. They laughed at the suggestion that WMD had actually been found...I chuckled and said...but they have been. Chemical weapons that were illegal for Saddam to possess. Found...apparently found a while ago...I admit, I have no idea why that didn't make a larger wave 3 years ago, but that doesn't change the fact--they were found. I told them that those were great talking points, but that they had very little to do with reality. They were ready for me--they asked how I knew anything; they asked, you know, if I knew anyone in politics?!?! I smiled...and asked if they had any proof that those talking points had merit. They looked confused...and dismissed me. Insults and dismissal.

Regardless.

Hmph.

Its not an uncommon tactic apparently. I have suspected as much, but there are suddenly plenty of great examples of bitterness and ignorance overshadowing the facts...especially as more and more facts turn up that suggest that perhaps the momentum to impeach the President isn't quite as well founded as some might have thought.

Now...I could go into a rant about this or that political idea...but I'm not going to. That there are people that disagree with me without reason is hardly a new thought...and I would rather use my time discussing things with people with reason that disagree with me--at least then we might grow in the process.

The thing I am most shocked by is this realization...people really don't want to learn and discuss actually the ideas that divide us. They want to avoid those ideas. They don't want to discuss things that matter with truth...they want to hear the things they want to hear...and hearing something they don't want to hear is uncomfortable. There are actually people that don't want to deal with it...in any way shape or form. I've known this...but I cannot help but feel a little bit of sad awe at this realization...how can you live in this world and feel any sense of peace but be unable to discuss real ideas and be interested in finding actual truth. The search for truth doesn't begin by hearing always and only people that agree with you.

This sad little discussion ended with them saying that politics was like religion...its something you just don't talk about.

I wanted to pull out my hair. Politics is something you don't talk about? Religion is something you don't talk about? In a society of *free speech*, these are the things you don't talk about?

Sigh.

And, since the word "jackass" is being thrown around...lets not forget which party is the proud party of the jackass...