Bailout everyone...even the obsolete...

Bailout the Newspapers...'cuz that's the future of America's economy...

Seriously...why?

Have a Happy New Year!

Believing that next year will be better than this last. Happy New Year friends!

It Was Only a Matter of Time

I had a fairly stable home life as a kid. All growing up, you could count on several things as a part of my family.

Mom and Dad loved each other, and wouldn't give up, even when things got hard (and they DID get hard!).

We moved a lot, but my parents always tried to help us kids make the best of it.

Dad made chili and spaghetti, and the best shredded beef burritos you've ever tasted. Mom made pretty much everything else.

Sundays were family days.

Christmas was the best time of the year.

We'd take big vacations rather than save every penny for the future.

And whenever my Dad was with his brothers, he would instantly forget his children's names.

It wasn't a problem most of the time. Sure, Dad had some issues when we had pets...one of our dogs was named Butterscotch, and she had a knack for getting out of the yard. One day my dad was chasing her down the street and was bumbling over her name..."Come HERE Zach...Cilla...Chris..., um, uh...GOLDENROD!" Our dog actually stopped in the middle of the road and turned to look at him, before continuing her escape.

From time to Dad would call us kids by the wrong names, something I am certain happens in most families.

But nothing compared to when my dad was with his brothers. He couldn't call us by name if his life depended on it. It was truly amazing...once the effect occured while they were half a world away; we had a phone call with my uncles, and I became Adam, my dad's youngest brother for hours.

We would make fun of Dad, mock him and the inevitable confusion that would result from proximity of any kind with his brothers.

I should have known better.

We have (at present) only one kid, and so I have been able to avoid the challenge of remembering his name. That may change come August...but in the meantime, we've already added to the equation with Ody.

Aiden and Ody. Ody & Aiden.

Last night during prayers, I was asking for the Lord's blessing on...wait for it...Odin. Laughing, I tried to correct my mistake...and promptly asked the Lord to bless Aidy.

The curse has been passed down to me. Sigh.

Familial Reflections on a Christmas Night

Christmas brings to the surface those affections for our family and friends that may go unexpressed a lot of the time throughout the year. We dare to show people the love we hold for them, following the example of God Himself. Of course, the interesting thing about acts of love is that they tend to stoke our affections to heights that we were not aware existed.

I am my father's son, and the result of my mother's patience and constant love. I am the product of a handful of mentors and teachers who did not merely punch a clock when they came to school...but who chose to invest in me their time, wisdom, care, concern, discipline, and knowledge of God and His universe. I have been marked and defined by the friends that I have been honored to develop relationships with, over years and across the world. I am the man I am today in large part because of the woman I fell in love with, and the son that we share.

All these are the gifts of God...unquantifiable, immeasurable, and priceless.

This Christmas has been different for us. This Christmas, we went no-where. We invested in some few, larger, family oriented gifts (such as Odysseus), and ultimately, I had exactly one present with my name under the tree (my dear wife feels bad about this...I don't mention it to suggest that I feel unloved or overlooked, as I will explain in a moment...and besides, as the keeper of the check-book, it is difficult to avoid the feeling that I am buying myself a present--even though she makes more than I do!). I opened exactly two presents, allowing my wife to open the other couple of presents we received jointly as a family.

I cannot express how blessed I feel this Christmas.

This, perhaps, sounds cheesy and forced. I am not putting on a show. I have not always regarded actual presents under the tree with nonchalance; I love toys, I have a list of expensive ones I'd love to get, and we'd be better off if I cared less about stuff. I enjoy the whole gifting process: the getting, the giving, the receiving, the enjoying; it is ALL good.

I say this because I believe God, in His grace, has allowed me to transition into a fuller part of Dad-hood gracefully this past year. I used to wonder how my Dad could endure getting so few really good presents for his birthday and Christmas...let's face it, there are only so many times you can get cheese, or salami, or socks, or a home-made "whatever" before the gifts start to lose their novelty, right? My dad never seemed to mind, and I could never really understand it. Even when I pretended not to care about how good the haul was, I cared.

Until now. I cannot explain it...it sounds too cheesy, and a little prideful. Suffice to say...I am actually, surprisingly, content.

Why this tangent about gifts and Christmas? Glad you asked. See, one of the realities that has impressed itself upon me this Christmas is the great joy of giving gifts to those that we love. It is those people we love that I have been thinking about.

What I am thinking about, more than anything else, is the not so subtle ache that has been building since last night for friends and family that I have not seen, and perhaps won't really get to see again. Fortunately, that doesn't include most of my family...but too many friends to count are "gone" and I miss them. The missing is, if anything, punctuated by the occasional presence of those friends who are on the fringes (all too common at this time of the year), slipping out of regular contact, and becoming members of that class of friend that it takes real effort to be connected to.

Friendship is a difficult and important thing...but, oddly, missing friends and family is a good part of life. It is natural, it is appropriate...and it keeps us hoping for tomorrow, when maybe, just maybe, our old friends will once again be by our sides. It is the call of Heaven, when there will be no more goodbyes.

Until then, Christmas stirs in our hearts the need to show those that we can how important they are to us. To give as we have received to those that we have with us, to cherish them with the time that we have been given, and to reflect on how our temporal relationships are but images of the love that abides between our Creator and us.

Merry Christmas.

Gloria In Excelsis Deo

Merry Christmas!

Canis Lupis Gaseous

We have a dog!

He's wonderful.

He's a Basset Hound/Mix puppy, and when we got him, he had just turned 11 weeks, and weighed 21 lbs.

He is white with orange-ish brown spots.

He is quiet, he is gentle, he sleeps a lot (at different intervals, he's fallen asleep leaning against a large stuffed animal, on one of our couch pillows, resting his head on a book I was reading and had left on the floor, etc...all picture perfect if only our camera was working), and he is already using the "doggie door" (in quotes, because it is actually a cat door...but it functions as a doggie door until he grows...we'll try to replace it before then, but for now, we're broke and it works...).

When he walks, his naturally odd build makes him really funny to watch.

He loves Aiden, Sheri and me, and is very happy to curl up and sleep next to us in the living room.

He's a perfect addition to the family.

His name is Odysseus...and we call him "Ody" for short.

We love him a lot...and there's only one area in which we wish our special guy was different.

The books mention that Bassets can be...overly prone to clear a room when they get a little too relaxed...they let their guard down...and a silent cloud of death quickly spreads throughout the immediate area.

Ody is no exception to this rule.

Wow, is he NOT an exception.

It gives a new meaning to the idea of a stinky dog. When not afflicting us in this manner, Ody smells pretty good (we did just give him a bath, but still...he's soft and nice smelling...unless he's destroying your sense of smell with an SBD...)

Still...he's awesome. We have a Christmas puppy! So exciting!

The Widsom of the Papacy

Though I am not a Catholic, I have watched with interest over the years as the Catholic church has wrestled with its identity as the original church; as a disclaimer, I must acknowledge that I am an Evangelical Protestant, and my perspective is thus somewhat tainted on this subject. While Church authority matters to me, I approach the question from a completely different frame of reference, and so choose to recuse myself from discussions on the internal handling of institutions such as the Anglican church, the Catholic church, etc, for the simple fact that I am not helpful as I do not accept some of the given basic principles for the discussion. However, when the leadership of the "High" church addresses the world at large, everything is fair game.

That said, bravo to the Pope.

He has, of course, spoken on this issue before. What has remained consistent in his challenge is the argument that man is certainly not less important than any other part of creation, and as such, deserves the same (if not more) efforts to protect it and see it thrive according to what is natural. In a world filled with environmentalists, and amidst the growing concerns about how we are thwarting what is natural for the planet, this tactic seems particularly well aimed.

As usual, the recoil from the Gay/Lesbian advocates is disproportional to the offense.

Did the Pope say that we should fear homosexuals? No.

Did the Pope suggest that we should hate homosexuals, or that the church or Christ hates homosexuals? No.

What did the Pope do to earn him the scorn and derision of Gays, Lesbians, and their advocates? He had the audacity to suggest that homosexuality is not the natural or best manifestation of human relations.

For the opponents of Prop 8 et al, to suggest that homosexuality is not good is to support hate, more than that, to in fact BE a hatemonger. Instead of being open to consider the possibility that we can believe that homosexuals deserve respect and equal social rights and protection under the law but still also believe that homosexuality is not actually a good thing, and that practicing homosexuality is a sin, we are presented with an unfortunate dilemma; give them unqualified approval, or be branded ignorant, fearful, bigots.

Discussion is important, and encouraging when people are willing to engage rather than merely rant. At the end of the day, it is also important to realize that Christians cannot condone Homosexuality as a natural good that produces what is best for man. The Pope reminded us of that reality, and through his words continues to be a wise leader for the church and Christians around the world, Catholic or otherwise.

As we reflect on the meaning of Christmas, in the midst of these difficult and heated discussions, the whole message of the Papacy is so vital: that God created us for a real and definite good, and we are not free to redefine that as we see fit. The same arguments we makes for the conservation of the planet and the protection of nature for the sake of God's other creations challenge us to pause before we attempt to reorder the natural world for our own purposes. There is love in this message; it may be difficult for those that struggle with homosexuality, but in some ways no less difficult than the struggle of those us heterosexuals who struggle against the desires of our appetites to have relations outside of marriage, the only appropriate place for the out-working of those appetites. Christ understood that...yet still He came to redeem us and offers us the grace and strength we need to overcome our inordinate desires.

He came to us, and brought redemption with Him. Recognizing our need for His salvation is the first step to receive the forgiveness He offers. It is not out of hate that sinners are called to repent; the call goes out to us all, so that all might be saved. This is the heart of Christmas, and the very soul of the Gospel.

That all might be saved.

Good Christian men rejoice! Christ is born today, Christ is born today!

On the Otherhand...

I took the opportunity to praise what I think is a healthy interpretation of the decision to have Rick Warren speak at the Inauguration.

Unfortunately...for every one step forward, there are those who would prefer to take as many steps backwards as possible...

It is hardly necessary to refute each of the ridiculous arguments behind his understanding of scripture, in part because he cites wikipedia as his knowledgable source for supposedly outing David and Jonathan, and in part because he's already dismissed any discussion that might be offered to clarify his deep confusion...however, I believe it does bear pointing out that this is the sort of discourse which won't lead to a better nation, a more successful society.

We may disagree with the reasons we come to the political conclusions we do...but having a fundamental respect for those on the other side of the aisle is vital if we'd like to see anything other than carnage left in our wake. Cenk Uygur and the many, many, many who post similar thoughts on HuffPo (scroll down to see the long list of other bloggers with their thoughts) should reflect on the thoughts of the author I praised in my previous post. Lee Stranahan has, I think, a solid head on his liberal shoulders.

Surprised and Pleased

I am, obviously, a political opponent of this man and his party/comrades/agenda.

But bravo for seeing the point of politics, and following a good step from our soon to be leader. America may give up it's heritage as a Christian nation...but I think it is important, as we work against that, that we don't surrender it's heritage as a society of discourse and dialog.

It's not the only thing; it's not even close to being the most important thing...but our nation is a valuable thing, and I hope to see it prosper, not languish. I believe that seeing us come together to discuss the ideas that we value is a much more hopeful and ultimately productive form of unity than some of the alternatives. If this is what happens as a result of this past election cycle, then I will go beyond even my affirmation of the election process and say that it is good that Mr. Obama was elected President. I hope he continues to work towards discourse in the public square, and to draw us away from the phantoms we believe the other side to be, and to face the realities of our political opponents.

Conservatives: it is, I think, possible to live with in harmony with those we disagree with politically and not abandon the heritage and legacy of our faith.

Liberals: fighting for morality in government doesn't mean that we are trying to make the government part of the church.

The Patience of Christmas

As a teacher, I am daily confronted with the need for and the general lack of patience.

I do not limit this to my students, but they do demonstrate this problem quite vividly; they are young and they are growing...and growth can be difficult at the best of times, and all the more in a society that tell us constantly that we shouldn't be content with what we are. They wrestle with learning to persevere through the hard times, to strive when there are easier ways to accomplish the same "goal" of graduating from school and going off into the world...they struggle with learning to trust me and be patient, even when they don't understand why Mr. Leigh is so excited about Book 12 of the Iliad.

They are attempting to navigate the difficult waters of growing up without falling victim to the traps of a culture obsessed with being 18 years old. For them, the danger lies in growing up too fast. One of the aspects of my school that I appreciate is that the students are encouraged to preserve their innocence as they grow (hopefully) wiser.

It is my task, in part, to prepare them and to educate them regarding the need to prepare themselves before venturing out to the waiting world. To teach them the virtue of patience.

Patience is one of those virtues that can only be learned the hard way: through the practice of waiting.

I was reflecting on this the other day, and while reading the Doctor's thoughts on the importance of history, it occurred to me that the promise of Christmas is a lesson in the value of patience.

The season is predicated, in part, on waiting. It's why children have to learn to wait to open their presents until Christmas Day. It's why Advent comes before the joyous Christmas morning. It's why we waited through the years for the time to be ripe for the coming of the Christ. And it is, in part, why we wait now for Him to come again. Waiting allows us to learn to be patient.

Why is patience so important?

Through patience we learn to be content in God's timing. By patience, we access the peace of God in every circumstance. Patience allows us to endure the slow grind which so frequently typifies sanctification. Our God, the actualizer, chooses to allow us to wait for His perfect time, instead of pushing us forward by the sheer force of His awesome will.

Learning patience is a gift. It can be grueling, it may drive us to the ends of ourselves, but along the way we have the opportunity to see God's plan for us unfold.

Adam and Eve were the first to hear the promise. They died with only the hope that salvation would someday come from one of their own children.

Abraham endured time and again, only seeing his hope begin to be realized at the end of his long life.

Generations of Israel suffered in slavery, endured the wilderness, won and lost themselves a homeland...until, while under the brutal subjugation of Rome, Christmas dawned on them and the world.

Look for the dawn to follow the darkest moments of the night. Christmas comes in the midst of winter; life promised in the middle of the barren cold.

Oh, I'm Sorry, We Thought You Were Extinct

Or, why the science community doesn't know jack.

Saving the American Car

Sometimes, going backwards is the best way to go forward.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not mechanically inclined. I am perpetually paying more for stuff handier people could take care of themselves. I have accepted that my unhandiness is part of my life...I am what I am, and I have accepted it. I have other talents...not ones that make me particularly popular on man-night (I have zero ball-handling skills--you do NOT want me on your basketball team, am clumsy when it comes to carpentry or mechanics, and I am not wild about any football team, college or pro...I have some preferences, but I adopted those in part to avoid being a leper amongst my fellow men). I am working on amending the problem...I am proud to say my drink of choice is scotch (Scotchy, Scotch, Scotch...I like Scotch...) and I really enjoy a good cigar (I had my first Cubans this summer...amazing). I enjoy poker and meat...I like eating meat while playing poker. And I have what might almost be called lust for the muscle car.

Which is really odd...since I am not the car-type. I don't care much about cars, nor have I ever been moved to learn much about cars.

But I cannot resist the old Muscle Cars. Even when they're not restored, I think they're just about the sexiest things on the road. I know I am doomed to never own one...you cannot one one unless you can take care of it, and I know I couldn't take care of it...but that doesn't stop the longing.

SO...with this in mind, I propose my solution to the dilemma facing Detroit. American cars cannot compete with Japanese cars. I know it is not entirely because of the product...but the product doesn't help. Compare a Focus with the Civic. Although the Focus is the closest Ford comes to competing, it cannot close the deal...it's just not as nice as the Civic. American Car's R&D departments just cannot muster the energy to put a stop to the foreign cars' dominance.

What is the answer? Look to the past! Get rid of the R&D departments, the focus groups that are obviously missing the mark, and the innovation that continues to produce cars that nobody wants to buy.

STOP!

Start making the old shells again. Put your Ford Focus into a classic Mustang body. No, it won't be an actual "Muscle Car" but who really cares? Get a nice loud muffler on that baby, a fresh, bright coat of gumball red...no more talk of a bailout.

Bring back the classics...those of us who don't want to spend every day this summer taking apart an engine (and wouldn't know where to begin even if we did want to!) will flock to your stores, and buy the cars we have loved since we were old enough to hold the Hot Wheel versions.

Drawing Us Out of Ourselves

An undeniable reality of our current age is that there is real distress about how tomorrow will turn out. We worry about how we're going to manage rising prices, lower salaries, buying Christmas presents, paying for new clothes, affording the car, saving for college, and putting aside a little bit for retirement.

Noticeably missing from this list is any mention of charity.

Now...I did just make up this list...so it is possible that the vice is merely my own. However, I'd venture to guess that most institutions that draw their primary support from the gifts of their community are hurting, and/or worrying about how they will survive in the midst of economic down-turn.

It can sound ridiculous to suggest that hardship is really a blessing, yet the Christian world has, since the beginning, argued this very thing. Which, of course, begs the question...Why should we relish the lean times? Why welcome periods of trials and tribulations? It cannot be a good thing to see others suffer...nor should we take joy in the downfall of our friends and neighbors.

Yet it can seem that hard times are the only times that show us the things that really matter...or, for that matter, the times when we see most clearly what we value and what sort of people we really are.

Which is why this season of tightened belts can be a good thing. It can remind us of those needs which are greater than our own; it can draw us out of ourselves and reach out to our community to show the kind of love and hope that attends the promise of Christmas.

Watch It's a Wonderful Life and think about what kind of a community we might have if we all strove to uphold one another in the midst of potential disaster.

Troll Song

Sometimes, you just need some good ol' fashioned Troll Song.

A Full Christmas

We've had a lot of blessings. It is bizzare to reflect on the last 4 years, and to have my son tackle me every day when I get home...of late, Aiden has taken to spontaneously expressing his affection for both Sheri & I. What more could I want...but, well, more?

August will be a good month.

Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men

With two weeks to Christmas, it is easy to get completely snowed in by the hustle and bustle and forget to stop and reflect on the meaning of the season.

A potential new favorite film for me is Joyeux Noel, the story of the ceasefire of December 1914. In a terrible war that cost the world the untold promise of generations, Christmas almost ended the war before it could really get going.

I love this story for a variety of reasons.

1. It is a true story...perhaps not the personal stories added for human interest, but the events did occur. Gotta love it when real life is as good as any fairytale; in the Winter of 1914, in the fields of France, we saw a fairytale unfold, before a self-imposed reality reasserted itself.

2. Christmas nearly ends one of the worst wars in history. I am a major Christmas fan...that makes it sound like a sporting event or something trite...I am a firm believer that much of the good that we have experienced in the last 2000 years started with the promise of Christmas, and the world languished as it waited for the first Christmas. This story is just another example of how the hope which inherently abides with the season can be life changing, reaching across all sorts of boundaries.

This is the very message of Christ, which no amount of strife or self-inflated cause of man can ever fully quell.

3. As I mentioned, it's a real story. I am also a fan of the period...the possibilities of the young Century were still unknown, and the strife of the Old World final came to a head in a calamitous wreck of war and carnage...in the finest traditions of tragedy, we can only read and wonder what might have been if any one of a myriad of possibilities had happened instead...

4. The final thought of the story is not a happy one. The officers (and in the film, even members of the church) must actually work hard to get their men to get back to the business of war. While it is not a joyful thought, I think it is important to reflect on the deliberate choice to embrace vice and pain is a consistent theme in the tale of man. This stands in stark contrast with the hope and promise of Christmas...which is, I think, the point. We cannot save ourselves; in fact, left to ourselves, we will actually work hard to choose death and war rather than peace.

Christmas promises a hope which has not yet been entirely fulfilled. While the salvation of Christ is something we can appreciate, we are left to struggle in Middle Earth and have not yet known the joy of the deathless land, where peace and love are the law of the land. Christians should be careful, as we preach the peace of God that we recognize that this world is not and will not be free from strife. Tomorrow will be better than yesterday, but only because tomorrow brings us closer to the Lord, and further from ourselves.

The promise of Peace on Earth, and Good will Towards Men was both fulfilled 2000 years ago, and yet remains to be completed. Take joy in this season, and reflect on the depth of the promised redemption. Find peace, as we live a reality that is still to be realized in full, and love as we look to a day that completes an act of love that altered all of creation.

A War Like No Other

I am reading Victor Davis Hanson's "A War Like No Other" as I prep for teaching my 8th graders about the Peleponnesian War, and am very much enjoying his narrative. If you're looking for a book to help you relate extricate the morals of history and aid you in connecting with the ghosts of the past, I would certainly recommend it.

I am still in the beginning, but it is already an absorbing read. His explanation of Athens connection to modern America is enlightening, and examines some realities that I have often reflected on, without a proper frame of reference to guide me, not least of which is the question of why America is opposed by so many in the world.

I have long had my suspicions; growing up in a foreign country (especially one with a long history of colonization, both with and without the US) that it generally centers around envy: many who are not us wish they could be us, and since they cannot, hate us for being us.

Although this is something even VDH recognizes, also in play are the factors of the liberality of our society, and the unpredictable nature of a Free Government. We are an unknown quantity, and that is distressing to a world of known sums. Since WWII, America has filled the void of our potential with specific and material examples of our might and our ability to influence the world as we see fit.

For this, we are loathed. Which is odd, given how much good we do in the world.

And, odder still, those who stand as stark opponents to us are lauded. Chavez, Castro, Che (posthumously), Ahmadinejad...even Putin. They are celebrated as free thinkers and champions of a world that will not be ground under an American heel.

It is not because most of the world actually wants these individuals to be their leaders; if this were true, America would cease to be the center of so much of the world's power. But in the absence of another superpower (and sometimes even despite of another superpower...the Soviets were not unpopular during the Cold War in many elite circles, and are frequently spoken of with a certain amount of pseudo-admiration today) allows critics to fantasize that the freedoms and excesses of America are the cause of the world's ills.

I think it is the cost of being free. Freedom is alarming, and difficult to control. Citizens of a free society see tomorrows with potentials other citizens cannot begin to comprehend. This very fact creates an environment that puts others at odds with freedom.

Not unlike being a parent or a teacher or anyone responsible for growing children. The more they grow...the more they need to have responsibility for their own choices and lives, if they are to grow into fully functioning adults. Letting them experiment and learn how to make the right choices can be worrisome, to say the least...but without it, growth never happens.

Inevitable and Hilarious

This makes me laugh...a lot.

******************************************************************************

As a brief explanation, let me ask a few questions of the Dems/Left leaner's that cannot stand Bush and were so excited about getting him out of office:

Do President's like to be liked?

Could Bush have been liked if he had wanted to be liked?

My answers to those questions are, respectively, yes, and yes.

So why did he hang his entire legacy on issues that contributed directly to his status as the whipping boy of the world? Simple hubris? Greed? Stupidity? Ignorance of the general growing discontent with his leadership? Or, as Oliver Stone ridiculously suggested, Daddy Issues?

Any or all of these are possibilities. The one possibility that the Left seems incapable of accepting is that we do not (and cannot) know all of the issues that impact the decisions the President must make. A President who is not self-serving first will not please everyone, and may end up not pleasing anyone (at least, any of the people who "matter").

As Obama's agenda and cabinet bring a harsh reality to the Leftist utopia envisioned by the subscribers of HuffPo, ask yourself this question: what has Obama learned, since winning the election, that has changed his perspective on so many issues?

Mysterious Providence

It can be hard to find the right words to say when we see a fellow brother or sister in need. We frequently remark that "the Lord works in mysterious ways" whenever we encounter a problem that is too great for our own problem solving techniques. Prayer is offered vaguely, and rarely as real, tangible help, in and of itself.

We have been struggling to find the way to make ends meet recently...I will freely admit we have not been the best stewards of what the Lord has given us, and we are working to try and amend that problem...but the fact remains that our bills have exceeded our income for the last few months. As a result, new problems arise, and then we get even more worried about it.

This week, I was getting so distracted by it that I was having a hard time concentrating on much else in a spare moment. I hadn't checked our mailbox for about two weeks, because I didn't want to see the bills...a "see no evil" sort of thing...

Coincidentally, I also chose this week to start reinserting prayers into our morning routine in class, a practice that got neglected as my tunnel vision for our lesson plans forgot the importance of prayer in the morning. We have been reading from the Book of Common Prayer, and I have been teaching the kids about the value of communal prayer, and lifting each other up. In these prayers, I have actually not prayed for my own concerns (which is somewhat odd, given how much they were stressing me out...perhaps part of the denial tactic...) but have prayed strictly for others.

About mid-week, I suddenly relaxed and decided that I would pay what I could and work out how to take care of the rest as we could. We would cut out all unnecessary spending (eating out, eating gourmet, fun toys for Aiden, new clothes, etc), and do what it took to get out of the hole we had gotten ourselves in. More importantly, we would take up the practice of tithing again, something that has once again gone by the wayside because it was convenient.

I was content with this solution...it wasn't a complete answer, but I could make it work. We would focus on loving each other, and not on satisfying every want and desire with things and money.

I went to the mailbox this morning...facing the music, finally.

After fighting to get my mail out of the box for about 2 minutes (the postman must be a genius...I have no idea how he got it all in there...) I got it home and started sorting.

One imediately caught my attention...in the envelope window it said "Pay to the Order of Christopher Leigh..."

We received a notice a few weeks ago that our house had recently decreased in value from the time that we had purchased it (to roughly exactly what we had paid for it, so that was fine...). I didn't think much of it at the time, but apparently we had paid taxes on the house when its value was higher.

The envelope contained a refund for the extra taxes we had paid, essentially exactly what I have reasoned out that we needed to put ourselves out of the trouble that we had gotten into.

Not saying that every time you have a need you'll get a letter with a windfall (although this has been our experience...), but I do want to point out the overwhelming provision and grace for those that turn to the Lord in their need. I had already received what I consider to be an answer to my problem...I had peace, and a plan, which is what I had so desperately needed. This last is wonderful, and unlooked for...and more than what I had even thought to ask for. The mysterious providence of our Lord really does challenge all of our preconceived notions of the nature of things.

The 5 Films You Need To Watch This Christmas

I'm not a terribly original film connoisseur, but choosing a classic is hardly something to be ashamed of. My list, from bottom to top, for your Christmas viewing is as follows:

5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. More for its sentimental value than for the story (although the story itself is also a treasure), this cartoon ranks a spot on my list of Christmas "must sees" because it wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't get to see the Grinch's heart grow three sizes that day.

4. Love Actually. This is the most modern of my selections, and if you are taking my list as a guide, you should be warned: there is foul language and nudity in this love story. However...it paints a vivid picture of the effect that Christmas has on the world, even a world that is not particularly centered on Christ. We love, we risk, we cherish...because that's what you do at Christmas. Great story, fun movie.

3. Jesus of Nazareth. This is not a strictly "Christmas Movie" per se, however it does involve a great section on the birth of Christ. Franco Zeffirelli treats you to a powerful (and long) telling of the life of Christ, from beginning to end. Not to be missed is the story of the Prodigal Son, or the redemption of Mary Magdalene. Find it, set aside a weekend, and reflect on the grace of God and the reason for Christmas.

2. The Christmas Carol. In keeping with my long established disdain for the rules of any game, I will use this opportunity to list three movies as one: my favorites three versions of The Christmas Carol.

The 1951 Alastair Sim "Scrooge" in black and white is a classic, and includes some fantastic scenes of Scrooge at Marley's deathbed which every other version skips over. Scrooge is particularly abusive of his fellow man in this one, which makes his conversion all that much more joyful.

The Muppet Christmas Carol, fun and brilliant. My son can watch it, and I never get tired of hearing the song from the Ghost of Christmas Present, or the jokes from Gonzo and Rizzo.

And finally, the George C Scott Christmas Carol; if pressed, this is my favorite version of the story. George C Scott plays Scrooge as cold, calculating, and untouchable by the world, until prodded from his isolation by the ghosts, culminating in the sheer terror of the Future. His redemption is tender, sincere, and moving. If you haven't seen this version, run to the store and do yourself a favor.

And finally...

1. It's a Wonderful Life. As I say, not terribly original. But I challenge you to yawn as George Bailey struggles against his destiny as a responsible man. If there is a movie we need to think about more in this day and age, I cannot think of it. This movie also lays claim to some of my favorite lines..."The police are way on the other side of town--they'd be on my side too!" "I think I'll go find the girl and have some passionate necking." Ultimately, as a man who is struggling to be good while watching his dreams pass him by, George stands as an example to every man in this age of self indulgence. I aspire to be George Bailey, and Christmas is not Christmas without the reminder of the role of sacrifice in our lives.

On the Lighter Side of Life

Some friends of ours introduced us to "That Mitchell and Webb Look" a little while ago...

A warning...they can use foul language. Still...they're amazing. Look for their vids on youtube.

Putting it to Practice

Speak to Us in Our Pain

In the face of tragedy and violence, all too common in an age of violent men who resort to violence when their arguments fail to convince, it is easy to respond in kind. It would be easier, we tell ourselves, if the God allowed us to hate terrorists. Why should grace extend to those who allow hate to justify their murderous actions?

I have certainly wrestled with these questions. In the wake of 9/11, I spent many days and nights wondering about the justice of God in the deaths of so many whose only crime had been being American, prosperous and free. We may not have gotten along with all those that perished...but since when does that justify such violence? What should a man do in response to such an attack on innocents?

It is only reasonable that the tragedy in Mumbai has elicited similar questions.

Pain is intended to cause us to pause. When we become closely acquainted with grief, we are forced to ask...is there a point? I echo the great souls of Christian tradition when I confidently assert, yes! There is a point to our pain. We do not suffer at God's whim, nor do we suffer without hope of a ultimate redemption. Not least among the reasons we suffer is that suffering affords us a unique opportunity to display a confidence in the divine plan that God has for the world. To show that God's forgiveness and grace exists especially for those that choose to put themselves at odds with their fellow man, and in opposition to the God that created them.

Vengeance is the Lord's we are told, though that might be a concept seems repugnant in our search for justice. We have the might and therefore the responsibility to defend the helpless; it seems only reasonable that we would be vested with the responsibility of punishing those guilty of the inhuman acts of slaughtering the innocent and defenseless. After all...aren't we the hands of God in this world? At the very least we can condemn in the strongest language and in the most absolute terms the actions of those monsters, and even the monsters themselves; their path leads to hell, and the righteous wrath of God is their reward. And if we can send them there a little sooner, then so much the better for the rest of us.

I admit that these have been my thoughts from time to time as I have wrestled with the ramifications of the crimes perpetrated against civilians by terrorists. To see my justice fall on the heads of the animals that see children as targets. To see the terror they would use as a weapon destroy them.

And yet...even as wrath begins to fill my heart, the Spirit whispers, "This is not righteousness the Lord requires."

If God's forgiveness is extended to me, I must give as I have received. As He recognizes no limits in forgiving me, how can I put a limit on what I forgive? As one of my favorite questions from the best Christian movie of recent times puts it, "At what price mercy?" The legacy I have inherited tells me that I should show mercy and forgiveness, even if it costs me my life.

So what then? Do we collectively "turn the other cheek" and ignore the evil actions of butchers and villains? Is the wrath and righteous anger we feel in response to the crimes that were perpetrated in Mumbai impotent?

In a word, no.

This does not mean that the only option is pacifism. If God had not closed the door, I would presently be serving in our armed forces, and I gratefully support those men and women who sacrifice to protect and serve those of us who are not on the line with them. I do believe that there is an appropriate apparatus for bringing terrorists to justice, and for defending the helpless. It can be maddening that we must trust in something as clumsy as our government to champion us against such evil, but I also believe that the government exists to protect us from the inevitable harm that comes from the necessary task of dealing with those criminals. A reality of war is that even being in the "right" doesn't protect you from the harm that comes from taking life.

For those of us who are not responsible for holding that line, the task is less exciting, certainly frustrating, but necessary; we must pray for our enemies. Pray that their hearts would be broken by the Spirit of God, and pray that they would repent of their evil deeds before their final judgement is upon them. Pray that in the midst of this pain, we would hear the voice of God, speaking to us of the plan that was laid down with the foundations of the earth, to bring us to our Creator in a world that will finally be free from the weight of pain.

What Moves You to Give Thanks?

I have been cheerfully enjoying my time off this past week. Thanksgiving is the official start of my favorite Holiday season. We start putting up lights...we will make the trek down the street to the Christmas tree farm a block from our house, to get a tree to put up, and I will climb up into the storage space to get our our decorations.

It is easy to simply enjoy the season, and not really reflect on what it means. Still, this is a season sparked with a celebration of thanks, marked by the waiting of advent, and culminating in the joy of the Christ-mas.

Giving thanks is a funny thing; it is rather like apologizing, in that it acknowledges a gift, perhaps even a debt, and grace from someone else on our behalf.

My wife tells me that I am quick to apologize...and I think that this is mostly true. My parents raised me to have a certain amount of humility about my choices and actions; something that is helpful when you make the kind of mistakes that I do. One of the pleasant results of that has been that I do frequently willingly embrace the burden of apologizing. I do sometimes wonder if I am too compliant...but I am convinced that it is safer to be compliant than stubborn, generally.

This is not to say that I am always humble or compliant...I do not always apologize first. One of the lessons of marriage I have had to learn is that, generally, fights last exactly as long as we refuse to make peace, and peace starts with someone being willing to admit fault. It is fair to say I don't like admitting I am wrong, even though if you know my wife, you can probably guess that I frequently am wrong. It's always easy to apologize when there's no skin on the line...when your pride is in the game (as it usually is in marital arguments), the words "I'm sorry" can seem almost impossible to conjure.

I mention all of this because, as I said earlier, I think giving thanks is very similar to apologizing. Sometimes it is simple and easy; who really cares about saying "thank you" when someone holds the door open for you, or when someone gives you the right of way on the road?

But life is rarely simple...how do we humble ourselves to acknowledge God's blessing, and credit not our own cunning as the source of our prosperity?

Or, as is increasing common in these times, many people feel less blessed and more stressed. In many instances, our skin is on the line; our credit, our investments, our livelihood...how do we give thanks to God for circumstances that don't seem to favor us? How do we acknowledge God's providence when it makes so very little sense from our perspective? In the midst of pain, fear, stress, how do we say, "Thanks be to God"?

If our thanks is based only on our personal experience, the answer is we don't say it very much at all. If our thanks is centered on our perspective, unless this year has been a year free of pain, filled with easy riches, and unfettered by the weight of the concerns of the wide world, we have little to be thankful for; after all, this is a hard time: people are dying and suffering, may of us are facing questionable financial futures, and it is all very stressful. Hope and change may be coming (it remains to be seen) but the reason so many people blindly leapt out into the void for the chance that Obama might be unlike every other politician is because we are exhausted and overwhelmed by all of our present circumstances. We need a tomorrow that is different from today, because today has been very disappointing...and yesterday wasn't much better.

How can the Lord call us to be at peace in the midst of this Winter of discontent?

I started writing this blog the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and became distracted by the holiday. Since then I have returned to class and have been teaching my 8th graders about the Greeks and their understanding of the world. I've mentioned a few times how much I am enjoying these classes, connecting them to the origins of their culture, the legacy of their heritage as citizens of the West. Yesterday the lesson concerned the way that the Greeks perceived history and the future; by and large, the Greeks were hopeless. For the Greeks, yesterday was better than today, and tomorrow will be worse still. The Hope that came out of Pandora's box wasn't a promise of a better tomorrow; it was the last cruel joke of the gods as they unleashed death, disease, suffering and pain on men. In almost every Greek myth, whenever circumstances have the chance of working out and people living happily ever after, you learn quickly that they almost never will.

This was a concept that my students didn't quite grasp (a fact that did my heart good). Of course, this is because they are Christians. We reflected on this reality in class, that unlike the fathers of the West, we had come to know a Hope that is not a cheat, that will not disappoint.

As we enter the Advent season, waiting for the promise of Christmas, and the coming of salvation from a God who did not create us to torment us, but to reveal His goodness to us, and many friends and relatives are sending notice that this year they will be foregoing the tradition of giving gifts, we have a unique opportunity to reflect on how the Christian life is bountiful regardless of the abundance of our bank accounts, or the presents under the tree. Let us give thanks, not based on our personal experiences, but as a result of our recognition of the hope that we have in tomorrow, and the ultimate hope that eternity's horizon promises to make known to us.

To Live, not Survive

Pixar has a history of making entertaining movies that hit home on a variety of levels. My son loves to watch them, and so do I. As if it wasn't enough that they were pleasant and funny, they also address issues that we as a culture are wrestling with, if not in the mainstream, at least sub-conciously.

Wall-E was one such movie. Sure, there's the environmental issues, and the moral about laziness, and what not; all good things to think about. There are even "Cave" moments, as humans who had long ago lost sight of real things are awakened to gaze once again in wonder at the stars.

But what makes me well up inside everytime is actually a line that comes from the human captain as he struggles against he rogue auto-pilot. The "Auto" is telling him that the ship cannot return to Earth, due to secret directives from the last President of Earth, and his clinching argument is that because of this plan, "Mankind will survive," to which the human captain replies, "I don't want to just survive; I want to live!"

It gets me everytime.

I am in the midst of struggling to impart the legacy of the West to my students, and they frequently wonder if all the extra work they are called upon to do for the sake of their educations is really worth it. Their peers elsewhere are freer after school than they are; they have been working to learn how to write in ways that no students their age in America write, to master a language that hasn't been commonly spoken in in over a 1000 years, and to engage in the art of logic as 8th graders. On an average day, I will repeatedly hear the question, "But, why...?"

And though my answer will vary in type, it remains the same in its message; because the things worth having come at a cost, and the prize that you seek is actually valuable, and thus we should expect to have to sacrifice in order to gain it. I tell them that comfort and ease are not, in and of themselves, the highest goods we can attain; that as with atheletes in training, pain is just a natural part of the road that we must walk if we would grow and be more than what we naturally are.

If we would do more than merely survive, we must endure pain, fear, possibly even death. Survival as a goal is hardly worth fighting for. Life is more than comfort or even actually being physically alive. Pixar, in a Chestertonian spirit, shows us that the pursuit of life requires a willingness to lose one's life, even as one fights to keep it.

The Spirits of Yester-year

When I was a senior in high school I had a fun year. Having spent the majority of my junior year trying to survive Algebra II & Physics (my good friend Jeremy Williams told me when it was time to sign up for classes that, between Physics and Chemistry, Physics was the easier one, and the one that required less math...thanks for that Jer...to this day, I cannot look at a bridge without feeling that sinking feeling that comes before you flunk a test...I would routinely get home after wrestling practice at about 4:30, drink some water and then get started on my math & science homework...which I would finish at right about 9:00; I would do all my English/History homework at school in the half hour before classes got started); with this in mind, I was more than happy to ignore the advice of my high school academic counsellor and avoid just about every real class.

This was my senior year schedule, roughly adapted for the semester change, and as best as I can remember it in order:

Creative Writing
Wood Shop/Drama
Weight-Lifting (Originally it was going to be AP Psych...but, again, that involved work...and I was NOT interested...and I was a wrestler, after all)
Choir
AP English (my one *real* class...I was in a room with the smarties--including my wife and my best friend, BJ Cadd--and I was suffering woefully from senior-itus...Mrs. Cranston would usually evaluate my efforts with a look of mingled pity and impatience...I think she was happily surprised to hear that I learned to love learning in college...this class did actually change my life though, as it was the first time I ever read a C.S. Lewis work that wasn't Narnia...about a year-and-a-half later a discussion with Emily Moothart about the Great Divorce would be one of the significant stepping stones for getting me into the Torrey Honors Institute)
Bible
Photo/Pottery

It was the only year in high school that I made the good grade lists. I know what you're thinking...how on earth did I get into college? I wonder that often myself...to say nothing of how did I actually get into Torrey. I was lazy, and wasted a lot of opportunities...I don't really have regrets (it was a great year), but my academic life has suffered. There are worse things, and fortunately, God is gracious.

During my semester working on Black & White photos (which is a real art, and I loved it...it's a dream of mine to re-learn how to do the whole thing, and make a dark room of my own...maybe someday) we would take pictures of friends, trees, cars, water in the parking lot, and through the miracle of the absence of color, create instant nostalgic mementos for our youth.

It is something few people can understand; unless you're a missionary kid, a military brat, or something very similar, I cannot explain what is like to grow up without a home. I am not complaining, either; it is just that this fact altered the way we all interacted with everything, in ways that I am certain we did not realize at the time. We had to carve out pieces of permanence for ourselves, so we could explain where we came from. Figuring out where we were going to often proved a challenge. College was, for me, just the next step...I had zero expectations and just about no specific ambitions for it...I just knew my time as a kid in the Philippines was over and I had to go out alone and make my life into something (in all fairness, I should add that I chose to go alone...I chose an expensive University on the opposite side of the country from my parents, at least in part initially because of a girl..again, wisdom was clearly not my gift).

While we would work in the dark red glow of the dark room, and watch our pictures materialize in the developer fluid, we would listen to music. Music is one of those special gifts, that allows us to connect events and feelings with sounds, so that some experiences never entirely fade away from the memory. When I was in there, we would listen to 1 of 4 - 5 different tapes (back when things were still on tapes...at least, in the P.I.). One of my favorites was a song already dripping with nostalgia all on its own; added to that environment, it became an anthem for the cleaving that was taking place that last year at Faith Academy. Although my state-side counter-parts knew this song as "that annoying song over-played on the radio" or a song off of a soundtrack, I knew it only as "The Sunscreen Song," on my friend's tape.

It's been 8 years since I had access to this song, but every now and then I'd hear a snippet somewhere, or look at one of my black and white pictures of the flowers that grew on our hill, or the tree that we'd climb during lunch time, or the puddles left after one of my last tropical storms, and I would remember my Fall semester senior year in high school. I stumbled across an i-Tunes gift card yesterday from two years ago, and for the first time I have access to DSL...so, once again, I have access to instant nostalgia in song form.

Some of the maxims remind me of painful mistakes, or some of the happiest moments I can remember (I am one of those rare few that actually enjoyed my high school experience...I attribute this to my parents, my teachers, my friends, my circumstances...but above all, my God, who really was merciful; I made it through with my innocence mostly intact, something that I have since learned not to take for granted). Mostly, they make me reflect on how I have changed since the last time I heard them, and whether or not I still consider them to be wisdom or "a form of nostalgia, dispensing it (advice) is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth."

Maybe it's because it's been eight years...maybe it is because we have just moved and I feel a little alone and am starting over once again...maybe it is because I am now a dad, a husband, and my best friend from high school is going to be married this Spring and that makes me feel a little old...maybe it's because Facebook keeps showing me pictures of people I knew when I was my student's age or younger...but I have been very nostalgic of late. I want to connect with my past, and if possible to make it a part of my present. I hope I have abandoned the foolish lie I accepted when I was in high school, that those were the best times of my life, and that being young was the best part of living, period. Youth is painful, and it is good that it transitions into maturity. But there are sweet things about youth, and the bonds and memories of our firsts are worth treasuring, so long as we don't try to revive a life that nature and time has resigned to the past.

This is why we strive to be winsome, curious souls that grow in the Lord, but retain our youthful excitement about the potential to grow and learn and explore the undiscovered countries of heaven.

Happy Anniversary

Today is my parent's 30th Anniversary. Thank you Mom, and thank you Dad. I grew up in a solid home, with parents that loved each other, and us. Where you made mistakes, you also worked hard to be better--for each other, and for us. Mostly, you were great, and spent a lot of time and effort trying to raise us to be healthy, happy, and walking with the Lord.

My parents were the first solid believers in their respective families. They imparted a legacy of faith and trust in God that has impacted every decision in my life. I pray that I can be as good a husband and as good a father as my Dad. My mother imparted a gentle spirit to me and has frequently been my standard and guide when trying to navigate the waters of parenthood.

Thanks Mom & Dad. Happy Anniversary!

In Defense of the West

When the movie 300 came out, there were mixed responses amongst many of my friends. Some loved it. Some hated it. Some scoffed at the suggestion that the Spartans were the defenders of freedom and liberty and the West. Some wondered why everyone was wearing a leather bikini...

I loved the movie. I thought it was a lot of fun, but more than that, that it spoke to a call that I believe rang out at Thermopylae, and again and again throughout the ages...the call to defend the West.

I cannot offer the most articulate defense of this idea, "The West", and even if I did here offer up my best thoughts, they would be poor shadows of better men's thoughts. What I will offer tonight is my best reason for believing that 300 got something important right.

The Spartan 300 have been hailed through the ages as some of the first glorious martyrs for the cause of the West. Many have suggested that this is a particularly ironic interpretation of the events, since the Spartans were not a free society...and their prosperity came at the cost of other's freedom (poor Helots). Still...they stood against the first global empire...they resisted a tyrant, in favor of preserving the Greek way of life; the Polis, and free citizens.

Were the Spartans perfect representations of the West that was born, in part, as a result of their efforts? No. Barely a generation later, Spartans would be responsible for sacking Athens, the seat of freedom and liberty in Greece. But against the Persians, the Spartans stood with their fellow Greeks, in defiance.

Reynolds used to tell us that it was a sign of the downfall of the West that he is allowed to teach us at all. By this same reasoning...it is a sign of how fragile and new the West was that the Spartans were among the defenders...yet defend it, they did. They worked to establish a future they did not even comprehend, a world they would not have been allowed to inhabit, once it was established. They faced overwhelming odds and certain defeat, with hope and reckless abandon, for the tomorrow they would not allow to slip away into the night.

"They ushered in a future brighter than anything they could imagine."

Today, we may be poor, shattered, fragments of the inheritance to which we still cling. We teachers may barely qualify as students, starting their educations, in the generations that have gone before. Our challenges are daunting, and it is doubtful that the tide can be held back; but our task is clearly set out before us. As the last heirs of the West in twilight, it is ours to hold the line, to stand as 300 stood in a gap and make a mark that will change history. It is a good time to be a teacher.

What Do You Take?

As with everyone else who currently resides in Southern California, I have been thinking a lot about how I would respond to a disaster, such as the fires that have devoured hundreds of homes and changed radically thousands of live this past weekend.

Many are reflecting on the very important questions of why this sort of thing happens, what we can do, how to help those of our community that have suffered from these fires, etc. My school is putting together an effort to collect for those that lost everything some food, clothes, and necessities as they start the process of rebuilding and recovering. While I am praying for those that have been impacted by this recent blow in a season of hard knocks, I have become aware of a new thought that is germinating as a result of this most recent disaster.

I am in the midst of getting our new house put together. It is a long, costly process...what money we do make doesn't stay for long in the bank account; it is frittered away on light bulbs, and stair railings, plumbing issues, paint, furniture, etc. And to be fair, we spend to much money on stuff to makes it all easier; we are working on being good stewards of what we have. Our house is beginning to take shape, and I am finally enjoying coming home, enjoying sitting in my living room, enjoying walking up the stairs to bed, passing pictures of our family that now decorate our walls. Our house is becoming home.

And then, the fires come.

One of my professors used to say that people become Conservatives once they have stuff they want to conserve. I have been a Conservative since before I had stuff...but now that I have stuff, I DO want to conserve it. So fires, while always bad, now represent doom on a whole new scale. I have watched more avidly then before; and in the midst of fairly standard coverage of such a tragedy I resonated with some things I have not reflected on, in this way, before.

As with every disaster that dominates the headlines and impacts the society en masse, we are reminded that it can happen to us, our security is precarious, and we should plan for the future. Emergency plans, survival kits, insurance, etc.

All of which has prodded me to consider this question; if disaster were to come, what would I grab for in the rush of trying to get out of the way?

This isn't really a deep question; it amounts to little more than a variation of the game "Desert Island": what book would you take, what one tool, what one food, what one person, etc., if you were stuck on a desert island?

Assuming my family is safe, the important documents are in the car, and now I have a chance to grab one or two things...what do I pack up on the way out from the fire?

I think I will ammend the situation to allow for packing up a few small things into a box, and count that box as "one thing," though that may be cheating, its my game and I make the rules.

My first would be the pictures on the wall. I started to say some of my books, or new TV or something like that...but of course, those can actually be replaced...and if they can't, life will go on. I would generally be a better person if I watched less TV. But those pictures of my son and I at the Aquarium of the Pacific, my wife and I at our rehearsal dinner...those are the moments I want to hold on to.

My second is unfortunately my rotten computer. I hate to think of saving a computer...and maybe this will inspire me to transfer some of those things to a safer, easier to grab place, but my computer has my papers, my music, and hundreds of pictures that haven't made their way to the walls.

My heart is sad to think of my books burning and saving my rotten PC...but such is the age I live in. I need to get an external hard-drive, so I can throw that in the box of pictures and start picking up books...

What would you take?

I Moved Into a Burning Ring of Fire...

It was the Summer of 2008 when we moved from La Mirada, our home for the first five years of our marriage, my home since I left the Philippines in 2000 to go to college at Biola University.

We moved up to Santa Clarita, almost exactly 50 miles from where we once lived. On the whole, though I miss many dear friends from our old home, I love our new place. We have a house, we are settling in, we will get a dog (SOON!!!) and it has been a good time.

Something I didn't realize, as we were making our move, was that we were moving into the area where all the Fires happen. Today, we're cut off from home...because of massive fires everywhere.

I didn't realize it until I looked outside today and the sky was orange. Cah-razy

These are not...my...pants

It would happen on a Friday.

Out on the dodgeball field, revealing my mad dodgeballing skills...I went to reach for a ball...bent down...and suddenly felt a breath of fresh air...in the seat of my pants.

I split my pants.

I SPLIT MY STUPID, STINKING, *@&&!#@#@ PANTS.

Fortunately, not badly. Right up the seam...and not too noticably. I was due to teach a class in two minutes...so I managed to back off the field without attracting any attention, and call over another teacher to get some help.

The resolution to this problem wasn't all that exciting. What I don't understand, what puzzles me beyond reason, is why this pair of pants has always been so ridiculously tight. Not because I am in denial about a flux in my own weight...I know I have fluxed. No, the problem is that this pair of pants was exactly the same as three other pairs of pants that I own, excepting the color. The same brand, the same cut, the same size...and all a different fit.

Why, oh world of affordable fashion, why are your pants vairable sizes when they claim to be uniform?!?!?!? WHY?!?!?!?

I have resolved to procure some pants of real quality in the near future...I like to set attainable goals. This week...get new pants.

Mayor Newsome and the Law of the Land

Gavin Newsome, the ignoble mayor of San Francisco, has weighed in on the will of the people of California. Unsurprisingly, he opposes the measure, which carried the day.

Mr. Newsome, who has shown a general disregard for laws which he personally finds distasteful, is condemning the voices of the majority once again. Apparently, rule of the majority matters when they agree with you, but when they disagree, it is because they are hateful, wrong, or simply ignorant.

While I will agree that the Law should not be subject to merely the whim of the masses, at the same time, we have a process in place for the masses to speak and give their judgement regarding what we as a society accept. In this case, the people have spoken, a couple of times, and in each instance, the cause of Gay Marriage has failed to carry the day. Continuing the argument is perfectly acceptable; this is also part of the process. However, as has so often been the case in these last few years, a loss on the Left isn't merely a political loss; it's a critique of the morality of all involved, and a condemnation of our very souls. Freedom itself is overturned and in question if a liberal cause fails at the ballot box; the Republic walks a little closer to doom every time a Liberal issue is defeated.

When I encounter this sort of rhetoric from the Right, I do what I can to denounce it and work to calm the naysayers. Obama is not a Nazi...Obama is not actually a Marxist. Obama is not out to kill your babies, nor is He out to give your house to the bums on the street. He is a patriot, and has accomplished some truly praiseworthy things; he has my allegiance as the leader of the nation and my prayers as a man who undoubtedly needs God's guidance for the many problems he is facing. I disagree with nearly all of his platform...but the hyperbole doesn't ease tension; it makes the situation more dire.

For Mr. Newsome and much of his party, unfortunately, this breath of reality is not frequently forthcoming. As any Republican can tell you, the last 7 1/2 years have been filled with bitterness, spewing from the Left. It is not that disagreements are unhealthy or unexpected; it is that the way the Left fights has very little to do with what is actually good for the nation. How much of President Bush's time as President was rendered impotent because of the irrational hatred for him and everyone that supported him?

In California, they lost the debate. Marriage is not a right, it is a privilege, and as such it has been awarded to those for whom it has traditionally been the natural result of romance. This doesn't amount to the State making second-class citizens of Homosexuals; it is merely a specific contingent of the populace making their opinions known and declaring that they desire the Law to reflect their beliefs. It has roots in religion, but it is also defensible by those who want to see society prosper. Traditional marriage is good for our society...Homosexual unions do not contribute to society, in and of themselves. There are other, better, arguments for why the Law passed at the polls.

But this is really neither here nor there. The final point for today is this: the Law passed. Newsome and his ilk lost. Rather than taking it on the chin and planning for the next debate, they are spending their time protesting, and trying to force the issue by threatening to be publically upset. In California, this might be enough...but the Law of the Land cannot survive for long if either side decides that elections are only good when their values are upheld by the populace.

Christian Dems and opponents of Prop 8: don't let your side get away with undermining election results just because they're disappointing!

Vindication

I told you so.

Not even saying I agree with whatever may or may not be being said from some on the Right...but Lefties...remember...this is the cost of victory...and we've been experiencing it for years now.

The Storyteller: Greek Myths

When I was 9 or 10, there was a show on PBS that told Faerie Tales in a way that nobody else told a story. They were amazing...so much so that, though I knew absolutely nothing about who produced them or what they were called, I have been hoping to stumble across them once again as an adult. The past few weeks, whenever I would visit our local grocer, I would notice a DVD next to the check-out stand called "The Storyteller," by Jim Henson. I looked at it a couple of times, but wasn't sure if it was worth it (probably a bad call...most things by Jim Henson are worth seeing at least once). Finally I broke down and just tossed it into the basket; a true impluse buy. The stores are quite clever with their placement of movies...I have grown out of the candy impulse (for the most part) but movies at $9.99 are very tempting...

And in this case, totally worth it. I soon discovered that this was what I have been passively searching for, the complete collection of fables and stories that impacted me as a child so dramatically. After a quick review of the first disc, I soon realized that I had not only stumbled on a treasure trove for my quickly growing son, but also a boon for my history (and quite possibly literature) classes. What better way of helping kids in the 21st Century connect with the myths that painted the imaginations of generations through the centuries then to allow them to hear them as stories? That Jim Henson...what a man!

Needless to say, we've been watching The Storyteller: Greek Myths in my History class this past week. The assignment has been to glean two (and from my perspective, picking only two is a chore...there are TONS of gems thrown out through the telling of the story) morals from each of the 4 myths, and speculate on how those myths would have shaped the culture in which they were told; Daedalus & Icarus, Orpheus & Eurydice, Perseus & the Gorgon, and Theseus & the Minotaur. The stories are not editted for modern sensibilities...they end sadly, and often justice is at the very least in question, if not seemingly absent altogether.

My favorite is a toss up between the moral of Daedalus and Icarus and a question from the tale of Theseus. On the one hand, you have to wrestle with the lesson of the value of moderation, and with Theseus I think you have to ask yourself...what must one become to be the champion that defeats the Minotaur? Theseus is a bad man...and a hero. His glory seems to cost him any virtue he had. Obviously the lessons are closely related...but the discussion comes from different directions.

Even more fun is the fact that in the process of discussing the Greeks on these issues, Milton keeps coming up. Is it better to be a king in Hell than a slave in heaven? Is glory worth more than a mediocre life on earth? If glory is our immortality, what then? Perhaps that is why Christ makes the difference between Christianity and everything else so clear: if you would keep your life, you must be willing to give it up. Clinging to life is the surest way to lose what you hold dear...through this paradox, Christianity resolves the dilemmas that plagued the Greeks. It's a good time to be a teacher.

More on This Later...

There are many reasons I support our veterans, and I will be happy and proud to show my appreciation for their service and sacrifice over the next few days...but on a light-hearted note, allow me to say that I am thankful to our Vet's because they afford us a three day weekend...just about exactly when I needed one.

Thank you, men and women of the armed services...in so many ways you sacrifice so that others do not need to...and for one lame but very sincere teacher, this three day weekend is just another instance of your provision for our country!

Getting Back On the Horse

Hugh Hewitt is, as always, encouraging in his analysis.

On the Day (or two) After the Election

First and foremost, major congratulations to President Elect Barack Obama. His election marks a major landmark in American history and a truly admirable accomplishment. Mr Obama and his family have been and will be in our prayers for the days, weeks, months and years to come. May God grant him wisdom and foresight, and may he be a leader that increases the liberty and virtue of our nation.

It is a good day to be an American.

The Republic has once again withstood a complete change of government, and no blood has been shed. We Americans take this for granted, but this has rarely been the case in the course of world history.

Faith in the election process has been restored for half the nation. Although we could argue about their reasons for doubting the process in the first place, that fact is worth noting. It is a bad thing when a significant portion of the nation believes they have been disenfranchised of their vote. If McCain was the necessary sacrificial lamb to set this right, we could not have asked for a better man, full of integrity and honor, to endure the loss of a long and difficult election. I hope that our friends on the Left take note...as we fully intend to return to power; remember, the Republic is more important than the results of the election, and tough as some loses may be, the nation needs both sides to come together in the aftermath.

It is important to remind ourselves (those of us frustrated Conservatives) that this is part of the political process. Loses are part of the game...and much good can come from having to re-examine our approach.


Let us pray for the President-to-Be and draw together as Christians and country-men.

The Dawning of the Age of Obamius

Although I firmly hold to my prediction that McCain is about to be elected President, it seems wise to say something now, on the chance that I am wrong.

If I am wrong, at least I will no longer have to strive after success; in the coming Obamatocracy, I will no longer need to put gas in my car; I will not need to make my mortgage payments; doctors will come to my door free of charge when I get my annual cold/flu bout. Haircuts will no longer be just haircuts; they will make us beautiful people. Even farts will smell sweet...after all, when Obama comes to town, bad gas is a thing of the past.

Well, that was fun. But seriously...if Obama does win, I want to say right here and now...

It won't be the worst thing in the world.

I think the country will be worse for it (obviously). I did vote for McCain, and generally I vote for the man I believe to be best qualified for the office, best able to make a positive impact on our way of life.

However...successful discussions are not one-sided. And for the last 8 years, the discussion from the White House has been from one point of view. To the Liberals, this point of view represents just about their idea of Hell on Earth. The Left HATES Bush...really they do. At this point, it is practically impossible to have a discussion about his decisions with anyone who seriously disagrees with them and avoid some very emotionally charged accusations.

For the Liberals of this nation, Bush represents the worst case scenario. Yet the Nation still stands, and if a person can shoe-horn themselves into a reasonable frame of mind, I think we all agree that while the last 8 years may not have been your cup of tea, the Republic still stands.

I say all of this because...if Obama wins...I firmly believe that the Republic will still be standing 4 years from now. It won't be my cup of tea...I voted for the other guy. But I am not going to take the route of the inflated Hollywood diva's or perpetually disenfranchised and threaten to move to Canada (not that it would offer much solace...talk about leaving the frying pan in favor of the fire...). Obama is just a man, and even if he does preside over a Democrat dream team (solidly Liberal Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches), the Republic is bigger than the people who comprise the government of the nation.

Successful discussions are not one-sided. The nation may just be better for allowing one side to air-out their beliefs and test their theories. Certainly it appears that this is the desire of many Americans...why not have the patience and the trust in our system to endure the rule of a party we really disagree with? A challenge to conservatives...have the stalwart faith to congratulate Dems on winning this round and start prepping for 2010...changing the minds of America with regard to our beliefs requires a more coherent discussion than we have been offering for years now.

Also...as I have mentioned elsewhere, and taking the over-used line from Spiderman...with power comes responsibility. If the Dem's get their wish...they also inherit responsibility for everything. As their opponents, this should excite Conservatives...criticism is easy to level; leadership is difficult, even painful...and history frequently shows us that the reward for leaders who do more than pander to the mob is disdain and explusion from power.

Still and all...its an election. It is part of the process of the discussion of power and law in our nation...it is exciting, it is heartbreaking...it is also just another day. The Republic stands, and we work to make it the best we can. Take heart, losers on either side! An election is lost today, but not the Republic, not the Nation, not the World...not our salvation. Deep breaths...deep breaths...

If Obama is the next President of the United States of America, good Christians and certainly good Americans should all raise their glasses in the following toast:

God Bless the United States of America!

I hope the same will resound tomorrow, when John McCain starts his celebration of Victory!

Its the End of the World as We Know It

When given the option of making a solid prediction regarding the continuation of life on planet earth...avoid making claims tied to specific dates. Dates are too messy, and have a nasty habit of being wrong. Far easier to vaguely suggest the end of the world if your advice goes unheeded...some might blow you off, but at least you won't be the laughing stock of the world the morning after your predicted the Apocalypse...

Al Gore should have taken this into consideration when making his predictions...after all, there have been some classic instances of marking the exact date you're dire warnings become completely obsolete...Hal Lindsey, Edgar C. Whisenant, and many, many, many others...

Then it might not be so funny when scientists are utterly confused why science isn't producing the results they've come to expect... Who Knew? Man might not be a parasite, might not be the worst enemy of the world...or at least might not actually be the most powerful force to impact the earth and the rotation of the planets...

Thank You W. Hollywood, or Why the Sheriff of West Hollywood is Pathetic

The logic behind the Sheriff's stance is...well...not so much logic as it is a putrid excuse for pansy, lily-livered "leadership."

In my quest to avoid using expletives, I am starting to sound like Yosemite Sam...

Can there be ANY serious minded, reasonable person in America who does not recognize that this crosses the line? If we are going to have the sham of "hate crimes" and purport the right to judge motivations and thoughts, isn't this clearly a candidate for such legislation? The lazy approach of Prang, dismissive to the point of arrogance, is both alarming and repulsive.

Seriously now...does anyone REALLY believe that an effigy of Obama would get the same treatment, Halloween not withstanding?

I say this on the eve of an election I really do believe will call into question the value of polls for years to come (Zach & I have wagered cigars on the outcome...I fully expect to be enjoying the cigar he buys me Nov 8th...), and I say this because there is a great amount of hatred in our nation for those we disagree with politically--to the extent that I think there are solid arguments against Christians pouring themselves into the political game, because it is so destructive to healthy, positive discussions...and the most important discussions we can have aren't about taxes, or wars, or health insurance, Social Security, immigration, marriage or even abortion.

Of course, these are also important discussions...and as a Christian in a Democratic Republic I think we do have responsibility to participate...and obviously I do...but this is an issue I have spent some time thinking seriously about.

This matters because, if I get the pleasure of smoking my victory cigar this Wednesday, there will be a lot of violently angry people out there crying "Fraud!" Part of this is because of the disgracefully lop-sided way the news has portrayed the campaigns of McCain and Obama...part of this is because losing is a hard thing to do.

What concerns me is the passivity we display in the face of increasingly violent frustration being expressed by people who disagree with the politics of those elected. Those people who hate Bush talk about the President in a way that should disturb us.

Of course, the Left (though guilty of doing it more, in my opinion) is not alone in violent expressions of their angst. Obama has certainly been the target of violent anger from some on the Right. There are people who talk about Obama in ways that cannot be denounced strong enough; my concern stems from the fact that the one-sided-ness that has favored Obama for 2 years has also failed to denounce the violent rage on the Left in the same way it has chastised it on the Right.

Call basketball players "nappy headed-hoes" on an entertainment show will get you fined, sued, fired, and censored. Hanging the woman running for VP in effigy doesn't even result in a fine or an order to cease and desist.

The Sheriff should be ashamed of this decision. But, of course it's not a real problem, and West Hollywood somehow doesn't care...since this indifference is directed towards someone the community despises.

Whitmore said that potential hate crimes are evaluated
on a case-by-case basis. If the same display had been made of a Barack
Obama-like doll, for example, authorities would have to evaluate it
independently, Whitmore said.

"That adds a whole other social,
historical hate aspect to the display, and that is embedded in the consciousness
of the country," he said, adding he's not sure whether it would be a hate crime.
"It would be ill-advised of anybody to speculate on that."

Ares & Athena

"While there they sit at their royal ease, exulting,
the goddess of love and Apollo lord of the silver bow:
they loosed this manic Ares - he has no sense of justice,
Father Zeus ... I wonder if you would fume at me
if I hurled a stunning blow at the god of war
and drove him from the
fighting?"

Zeus the Father,
who marshals ranks of storm clouds gave commands,
"Leap to it then. Launch Athena against him --
the queen of plunder, she's the one - his match,
a marvel at bringing Ares down in pain."

The Iliad, Book 5, Ln 871 - 881

We were reading Diomedes' fight with the gods in class the other day, and as we read this section I couldn't help but reflect on Aeschylus' lessons from The Orestia, as they relate to Homer in this passage (the 8th graders with Zach have their discussions in my classroom while I am enjoying free-periods...I get to listen in, and so I am thoroughly Greek-minded by the time the day is over).

Hera tells Zeus plainly...the god of war does not concern himself with justice as he cuts a path of destruction through the battle lines. Though this doesn't always seem to bother the other gods, at least in this instance when the cause of the Argives is being undone by Ares they come to condemn the god himself, and Zeus tells us something of deadly importance; Wisdom is the best tool for banishing War from the battlefields.

So Athena goes and leads Diomedes to another legendary victory against a god himself. Wisdom leads man against the god of War, and War flees.

This isn't the only time Athena steps in to stop the cycle of violence. At the end of The Odyssey, she is the one that saves both Odysseus and his enemies from continued destruction. In The Orestia, we see the never-ending cycle of broken only when Athena intervenes to satisfy both justice and mercy.

Divine Wisdom, the only salvation from the never-ending cycle of violence and War. Homer's keen insight on this subject validates, yet again, his place in history and culture.