Isle of the Mighty

The Taste and Feel of Summer

2010-06-08T09:48:00.000-07:00

I will admit to being on something of a sensual kick of late; I don't think I am to blame, honestly. Recently, it's been a lot of fun to reflect on the various sense experiences available throughout the days.

About a month ago, the light in the sky started getting more intense, the sun really filling the sky and then some for the first time in months...and the breezes, for a few blessed weeks, accompanied this new abundance of light; thus we were blessed with the days of Spring. I would take walks with my family in the evening, and you would need to carry a sweatshirt because once the sun finally went down, it would be too cold to be out without added layers.

Well, things are heating up, school is out, and BBQ's frequently scent the air; smoking goodness wafting through the air, sweet tang and fire...I may need to spend more time at the pool to stay cool, but that is hardly a concession for moving from Spring towards Summer. The chlorine perpetually in my hair, the stickiness of spray on sun screen (the wife is adamant...I say, burn early, tan for the rest of the summer...but I seem bound to remain pasty and white...SO attractive...contrasted with the Lobster look, and eventual skin cancer...choices, choices)...and the satisfyingly drained condition of having spent hours in the sun while swimming, walking, or even just sitting and reading, talking, thinking...being.

Of course, the natural choice on such days is citrus; preferably something lemony and berry-ish. Ocassionally, when the heat gets particularly intense (not yet, thank goodness) it's time for Shave It! and my traditional macadamia nut ice cream, with some combination of guava, mango, coconut, passion fruit ice.

Life is good. Summer seems to be a good time for feeling that.

At the End of All Stories

2010-05-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

Does this sound familiar: you find a story which captures your mind and makes your heart beat a little faster with every word you read, every moment you watch...whenever you hear the music (whether provided for you, or of your own selection) it makes your skin tingle with a special anticipation...a flutter in your gut, your breath catches...somehow, inexplicably, this myth, which is not in any way linked to your real life...this story...rings true.

You devour every moment you can; if it's a book, the words seem to fly off the page as your eyes swallow entire paragraphs at a glance...if it's a movie or a TV show, you rigorously guard the appointed hour and follow dutifully all the little extras they release in the meantime, and avoid the spoilers who would rob you of experiencing the moment in the moment.

The story captivates your idle thoughts, influences your manner of speech, perhaps even the way you dress. (Alright...this probably only happens if it's a really good story. And probably only if you are a nerd such as I...) Every moment you can savor this story for the first time is a special bliss...others might give you a knowing look, as fellow partakers...but the experience is also deeply personal; it's what helps make you *you* and it is something you will carry with you always. Ask any true fan about the first time they read Lord of the Rings.

Of course...then there's the tragic, inevitable moment when you know that the end draws nigh. There's no avoiding this problem (though I have tried...to avoid finishing The Man Who was Thursday I put the book down for 4 months...when I picked it back up, I had a hard time remembering everything...and it still ended); if you try to hold onto the moment and slow down on the march to the end, you twist the story and do it a disservice. No, you must come to the end. It is the natural way; all stories end...and when our favorites do...we experience a loss which is difficult to define.

Nobody has died. In many cases, our heroes have experienced the end we hoped for...resolution is the point of these conflicts, and it is a relief to finally find that safety and consolation we hoped for; occasionally, stories let us down, but even if they ended badly, the conclusion is vital to the finished product.

And yet...despite worlds moving, hearts breaking, hope beyond hope yielding results greater than even we dared to dream of and everything being different because of it...weirdly nothing has changed.

Sigh.

So, what now? How do we fill the space? What do we do, when the story ends and we are brought heartbreakingly back to a real world that doesn't understand how precious and beautiful and wonderful life was for a few moments (prior to the last few words on the last page, or the closing scene, fade to black...)...more importantly, WHY must we endure this loss?

Two thoughts: first, we live as our heroes would live if this world were theirs. That's not to say, become a Ranger and abandon life in the city, or go in search of a school to teach you to use your magical powers...(problematic, since we're Muggles, but I digress). The "what" your hero does is not what you're supposed to do; it's the "how". That sounds depressing...but I venture to guess that in most stories, the heroes don't spend the entire time reflecting on how awesome they are. Rather, they exhibit virtues which are sorely needed in our own world...and we need heroes to step up and shoulder the responsibility of saving us.

Second, the reason we fill this emptiness is fairly straight-forward: it is because we are empty. We are looking for our story, we are waiting to embark and are anticipating the chance to be something we feel certain we were meant to be...but have not yet realized. Good stories let us touch that, for a moment...offer us the chance to glimpse, as through a mirror dimly, the adventures we have yet to encounter. The high country, for which our souls are still being conditioned...the hopes we have not yet learned to even dream.

Yet it is not for naught...at the end of all the stories, when the themes of redemption and salvation and heroism and love and perseverance and courage and justice have all been told, and filled our souls with so much light we can barely contain them all...at the end of our story, when life has closed (sometimes sooner than expected...perhaps after more time than we could have believed possible), we will open our eyes into a reality so crisp and unmistakeable, that all the stories we have ever known will resonate at once and we will have found our eternally new, fully resolved story.

Until that day, I continue to read, watch, and dream.

The Trouble of Time

2010-04-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have restarted this blog a few times since the first day I ventured into the modern foray of publicized ideas. Usually a restart follows a long period of "not-posting" inspired by a major shift in life, or a daunting absence of coherent thoughts, preventing me from forming worthwhile paragraphs or even sentences.

My last break came with the arrival of our second son; even before Kellan joined our home in the flesh, his impact was felt and I simply could not find time to reflect and write. That carried on long after he was born, and I failed to produce thoughts even when I had committed to doing so for others. In short, the last 8 months or so have been mostly fruitless on the writing front for me.

Happily, I had Facebook in the meantime. Facebook allowed me more leeway than Twitter, due to larger word count, but did not force me to commit to a full article in the tradition of a blog. I could be petulant when I felt like it, pensive, celebratory, etc. Also, people interacted with me and I prefer dialog to talking to myself, which is how I often feel when blogging.

Thus it was that I spent a great deal of free time writing Facebook statuses and arguing with friends about various subjects, and recently I noticed something interesting: I was writing longer and longer thoughts on Facebook, and was less and less satsified with merely throwing out a blurb here and there.

Now, this may or may not matter to most...it may not be greeted with any joy (oh, so, you mean you're going to talk MORE?) and it is possible that the only good thing which may come from picking up blogging again is I spend less time on Facebook...but I am hoping to begin developing complete thoughts once more and working to present them in an interesting, articulate and enjoyable manner..and hopefully I'll get some readers again...but mostly, I'd love to start writing once more, since it's getting harder and harder for me to imagine a world where I get to return to grad school or ever write a paper important people will read. I miss engaging in discussion, and hope that this might fill some of that need.

The trouble, as always, is finding the time. But we strive on, and pray for grace.

Unto us, a son is given...

2009-08-11T05:25:00.000-07:00

Unto us, a child is born.

4:18 AM, August 11, 2009. Name...forthcoming.

Because I've got the Castle...

2009-04-30T23:58:00.000-07:00

and a beautiful Lady of the House, and a knight/dragon (it depends on his mood) and even an incredibly lazy ferocious beast...it seems appropriate to announce the impending arrival of a princess.

Coming soon to a Leigh House, possibly but not necessarily near you: a Baby girl. God is gracious and generous.

Victory in the Grave

2009-04-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

Revelation 1: 17-18

Happy Easter. He is Risen!

Enjoying the Simple things

2009-04-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day before Easter Holiday...and I am all too ready for the rest I anticipate over the next few days.

Over the coming week, I intend to walk my dog, play with Aiden, talk with Sheri, hike to some waterfalls, catch-up with friends, read some books, blog some, and possibly, just maybe, get a BBQ and do some grilling in the beautiful weather we've had recently.

A good week, spent doing simple things with people I love.

While gutting out some of the huge piles of grading I have had in the last few weeks, I put on some movies to fill the time; especially on those nights when Sheri is at work, it's nearly a necessity. Being a social person, I will simply fall asleep if I am in silence reading papers for too long.

Long and heavy movies are on the dock for such evenings, since Sheri wouldn't watch with me if she were there...and so some of the highlights have been a viewing of Patton and the entire Godfather trilogy. I also finished watching Band of Brothers with Sheri a short time ago.

The result has been some surprises; after rewatching the entire amazing experience of Band of Brothers, and then viewing the fascinating but unsatisfying stories of two masters of men, George S. Patton and Michael Corleone, I am convinced of one thing; it is better by far to have a simple life than it is to strive after glory and power, even if you succeed.

My revelation may seem obvious; I am sure I have friends who have never been tempted by the lure of the pursuit of power or glory. However, I have perhaps never been so fully convinced that a simple life is better as I find myself at the current moment. It is a little funny, and a little sad, that it was the medium of movies that communicated this truth to me; our Lord, after all, said plainly that blessed are the meek; I think the reality is that while I trusted His wisdom, I did not fully perceive why it was so wise until seeing the stark comparison via these movies.

The Band of Brothers, tells the stories of average men who accomplish great things; not for greatness itself, but because it was what was required of them at that time and place. Once they were free to live their own lives, for the most part they proceeded to pursue lives of excellence, but not necessarily worthy of general acknowledgement. From all accounts, they lived (and some continue on even today) as unassuming members of their communities, proud of having known and served with men of valour and honor and courage, but each thinking themselves to be the least among these. They quietly receeded from their glory, and embraced the simplicity of a lives well lived, filled with good hard work and the accomplishments of years rather than wealth and influence.

This is contrasted with the lifes of great men, for whom no success is ever enough, who quest after the immortality of their own names, and discover that grasping their hearts desires means losing all the zest which first urged them forward.

I hope to learn the quiet joy of such a life. To dare all the great tasks which necessity requires of me, but to content myself with the joys of being a father and a husband and a son. To embrace the pleasure of being a teacher and a student, to quest after the glory of old age with the wife of my youth and the joy of a community I have invested in.

And I am looking forward to continuing down that road this coming week. Huzzah for Easter Holidays!

Appreciate Me & I'll Appreciate You...Maybe...

2009-03-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Teacher Appreciation Day is this Friday.

And Grades are due this weekend.

I anticipate a good haul.

What is It Worth?

2009-03-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

If the Iliad is a story of the Polis and the Man, the Odyssey is a story of the Man and his Home.

Though this difference may seem negligible, it is actually substantial; one paints with broad strokes the inseparable give-and-take relationship that exists between a community and the individuals that make up that community, while the other offers an intimate look at a need within Man's soul: the need for Home.

The contrast is stark (so much so that some hardly believe the same poet is responsible for both stories), but the lessons from the stories are not necessarily at odds with one another. In many ways, the change is actually natural; only a hero who had endured the hardships of the Trojan battlefield could make the Odyssey Home. Having learned the difficult lessons of Ilium, Odysseus naturally turns to journey Home, and in the process begins the next lesson; not only are we intricately and irreversibly intertwined with our Polis, but our Home is the only thing that completes us, and without it, nothing that we have is worth anything. Odysseus will endure any trial, and literally cross every ocean to get back Home.

If this is the lesson of the Odyssey, why does Odysseus spend so much time along the way home in the (sometimes pleasant) company of various hosts? Whether he is being held against his will by Calypso, or is being hosted in the halls of the Alcinous & his Phaeacians, or if he is skirting death at the hands of the Cyclops, or journeying to Hades itself...sometimes Odysseus seems to take his precious time getting home. My 7th graders recently finished reading Books 5, 6, 7 and are even now working through Book 8. They suspect Homer was filling space, what with the seemingly disconnected account of the Halls of Alcinous; after all, what can be the point of recording all the niceties accorded to Odysseus? One can hardly fault them for this suggestion on their first reading of the text, and in fact their reflections propelled me in turn to reconsider the "why" myself.

Not only is it unwise to assume that Homer was writing to fill a 24 Book quota, but this assumption also robs us of the opportunity to learn from the suffering of the Man of many sorrows. We become so focused on the destination at the end of the road that we miss the necessary lessons of the journey. The story tells us of the journey Home; it is not a story about Home itself.

Yes, Odysseus faces horrors; yes, he endures hardships. On a few occasions, his men all perish, leaving him to journey on alone (which, as we know from the Iliad, is not a good thing...). This makes sense...a story of hardships and adventures makes for exciting reading. Still, Homer also tells us about Odysseus' journey's through pleasures and comfort; and this is because he is emphasizing the value of the prize at the end of the road.

If we brush over the details, and ignore the stops along the way, the end is hardly significant. Odysseus is under-going what amounts to a sanctification process; even as he endures trials, he also relinquishes any inordinate good thing which is not the highest good. As a result, the value of Home grows; not only is Home worth facing the Cyclops for, but Penelope is more worthy of his husbandly affection than the divinely alluring Calypso. Eternal youth on pleasure island cannot compare to the joy and satisfaction of old age with one's wife, the mother of Telemachus (another man searching for his proper place in this life...but that's for a different post). The halls of Alcinous, filled with wealth, mighty people and joy are nothing to the son of rocky Ithica.

All that matters is getting back Home. Home is the prize, higher than any ransom or substitute; and because we see what Odysseus allows to fall by the wayside in his quest to get back Home, we can believe that this is not merely an idolized fancy, or a cultural assertion with little weight to it in reality. By taking us on the journey with Odysseus, Homer is leading us towards a better home, even as his hero strives to return to the one that calls to him, wherever else he might be.

Just a Frog With A Musical Show

2009-03-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

Songs...dances...shootings...no, no shootings...

While I look for ways to squeeze more blood from stones, I am also getting ready to teach Economics next year in 10th grade...anyone have any suggested reading for said project?

It's been an incredibly busy time of the year. In the last few weeks, I have been attempting to transform my lesson plans into a WASC-ready format (the busiest busy work you've ever had does not compare...at least I am putting in my time this side of death...purgatory will be a breeze), I have been out to and back from Austin Texas, where we went and visited Regents to compare notes and examine a successful model of what we hope to be in 10 years. I could say a lot about this...suffice to say, it was awesome. In the midst of all of this, my classroom-mate and I have been putting on the Jr. High Speech Meet, which culminated this past Friday with a competition down in Lomita.

All good things...just keeping me very busy. Coming soon; trip to Oregon for an old friend's wedding.

A Time & a Place

2009-02-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

I have a few free periods during my day, time which I may use grading or working on lesson plans, or other projects. Occasionally, I will use them for a real break from the day, and do nothing productive whatsoever with them. Today, during one of my free periods, I chose to watch this...and the laughter would not stop. If you don't find this absolutely hilarious, perhaps I just relate too well with making justifications for eating cake...but I struggled for 5 minutes not to disrupt the class that was going on while I watched this video...

A Glamorous White House

2009-02-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

Politico has this story today.

I am of two minds regarding this issue.

First, I think it is a shrewd move on Mr. Obama's part, to use the influence of his perks to help him lead. He has made several mis-steps in his first month+ in office, but this might not necessarily be one. Leading a divided nation requires the ability to both aggressive and alluring. I think this may work as his attempt to lure opponents.

Second, I think this could back-fire unless it is done with razor-like percision. Too many pictures of the leaders of Washington at parties during a recession, and with the headlines of Drudge making more and more people think about robbing a bank or hiding under a rock could be disaster. It is one thing to project confidence in the nation...it is something else to tell the people to eat cake, which could be the interpretation of too many parties in Washington as millions lose jobs and stimlus packages are discussed while the stock market bleeds out.

So we'll see...I think he is trying to thread a very dangerous needle. Not impossible, but incredibly dangerous.

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

2009-01-30T00:54:00.000-08:00

Sheri has recently shifted over to night shifts...which means I am alone three nights a week.

And while this fact has brought some interesting truths to light (I have not actually evolved all that much from college bachelorhood, apparently...left to my own devices, my nights are fairly boring, and generally involve unhealthy food and a grungy appearance I somehow manage to avoid whenever Sheri is around...oh, and I talk to myself more...) it has also afforded me the opportunity to reflect on some realities I would not otherwise have considere...

Also I lose more sleep. My hours become much more irregular...in part because I am the only one who cares if I am awake...but also because there's nobody to hold at night...and, as sentimental as it sounds (and I know it does, but I don't care) I don't sleep well when Sheri's not in bed. I'm not a cuddler...but having her there lets me sleep in peace. She's my security blanket...on her side of the bed. Because I really am NOT a cuddler.

Our dog gets the brunt of the loneliness...I have allowed him to sleep on our bed once or twice, and have even pulled him up on the couch with me as I passed out one night, just to feel as if I wasn't completely alone. Who knew I'd turn out to be such a pansy?

Of course, Aiden is upstairs...but he's in bed by 8.

One of the interesting realities of this restless waking that I suffer from on these nights is that I am awake while mostly everyone I know and love is asleep (except, oddly, Sheri...who, we all hope, is not asleep, as she is administering medical care...).

It is both remarkably lonely and also bizarrely serene to be the only one up. On the one hand...well, I've already covered the being lonely part...though I didn't mention also the new found creepiness of our house when it's dark and I am alone...sometimes I think I can't sleep because I have to keep watch over the house until light comes.

Then there's the odd peacefulness of being the watchman. It is just me, the (sleeping!) dog, my computer, and my iGoggle, whose theme is currently on "Earth-Light" which allows me to track the progression of the sun over the continents. Imagine the lives spent in blissful sleep...reflect on the souls just waking to the dawn...consider the multitudes already in the very midst of their day...

Sleep peacefully friends. I am, maddeningly, awake...and watching over the entire Hemisphere...at least until I pass out from exhaustion.

Some of My Better Thoughts

2009-01-28T16:48:00.000-08:00

I was recently having a discussion online with some other regular commentators on the agenda of the new administration. The main proponent of the ideas I was challenging had suggested frequently that Liberals, and the Obama administration in particular are dangerous, even objectively evil, synonymous with the Nazis and Gestapo (their choice of words). While responding to this person, I articulated some thoughts that have been on my heart and mind for the past few weeks as power has shifted in our nation, and people are digesting exactly what it means to them and to the country as a whole. I read my thoughts to my wife, as I so often do (poor woman...if I was one to worry about purgatory, I would be convinced she would be all taken care of...) and she suggested that I should post these thoughts to my blog.

Thus, here are my thoughts on the fundamental difference between Liberals and Conservatives, and the way forward.

I cannot really accept this understanding of the "enemy" as accurate, unfortunately. I will agree that within the Liberal ideology there are radically anti-Christian voices. However, I do not accept your suggestion that to be liberal at all is to be part of a false religion, or that it makes you an enemy of God and the Church, or the heirs of the Nazi legacy. That is simply a lie.

The key to understanding Liberals, IMHO, is to understand that they allow for the Christian haters. But then, they allow for pretty much anything. I do not find all of their arguments for the equal treatment of all ideas reasonable, or convincing. However, and I cannot stress this enough, I do think it is important that we Christian Conservatives stop shadow boxing and engage in the reality of the situation. There is no reason to put ourselves at violent odds with all of Liberalism because Liberalism allows for evil voices and thoughts. Liberal ideology is more than one long move against the Church and Christ. Strategically, the sooner we grasp this, the sooner we can avoid marginalizing ourselves out of the great debate. America is not Israel of the Old Testament. We are a gentile nation in the age of the church. Our government, though founded on distinctly Christian values, is not a Christian organization, and there's nothing wrong with asserting or recognizing that fact.

Liberals disagree with Conservatives about one very central issue; the role of the government in our lives. Within that disagreement there is room for all sorts of sub-arguments. I believe the mistake that is being made by the statements above is they confuse sub-arguments for the ideology itself.

Conservatives argue that Liberals want a government so large it removes the freedom of the individual under the auspices of protecting individuals from other, stronger individuals, while allowing those same individuals to be morally whatever they individually deem worthwhile. Liberals argue that Conservatives remove all protection from the state, thus allowing individuals to be tyrannical, and that hypocritically we want no government interference except in areas of personal morality.

Both sides have merit, which is why neither side has disappeared, even after losing major elections in the past few decades. This Republic, if it will continue to prosper, must see the two sides find a peaceful middle ground...which means compromise on both sides. Neither side will ever be completely satisfied...but such is the nature of a government of the people. I cannot get a room of 18 thirteen year olds to co-operate and agree...what hope is there of getting unified consensus amongst 300 million? So we have to be content with compromise, and stop trying to paint each other as demons or puritanical Salem Witch Hunters.

President Obama: Be Our Themistocles!

2009-01-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

In the wake of their staggering victory at Marathon in 490 B.C. (the Athenians traded roughly 200 lives for Persian casualties somewhere in the vicinity of 6500) the Greek world was afforded a rare reprieve from war, and for a decade they had the opportunity to prepare themselves for the might of the Persian hammer that they knew was coming.

During this time of relative peace, Athens also discovered a rich vein of silver, and had to decide how to use the wealth. Since the fortune was discovered by the city, and since the city was ruled by Democracy, the money belonged to the people. Of course, there were many who wanted the profits of the find to be distributed amongst the people; after all, who wouldn't want more money in their pockets?

However, the new leader of the democratic party of Athens, Themistocles, suggested something very different. He insisted that the money be used to fund the building of triremes, ships of war, keeping in mind the reality that the Persians would return, and with a far larger army this time than they had brought to Marathon.

In order to see his plan implimented in the absolute democracy of Athens, Themistocles had to convince the majority of the populace that it was better the deny themselves wealth, to work for the future while sacrificing today. His success, apart from the positive results on the behalf of the Greeks in 480 B.C. at Salamis, is also a testament to the importance of a leader with vision.

President Obama has amazing potential. I disagree with much of his social agenda...or at least, what I fear his social agenda will turn out to be. But the reality is, he has a unique opportunity. He could be one of the greats of all time. Never is the potential for greatness so real as in times of trial and challenge. We are experiencing difficult times...not the least of which in the area of our economy. Most of us don't even really know what we want to see happen to solve this problem...we just know something MUST happen. Should we have a bail-out? Should we give the money to the people, the banks, to corporations? How do we avoid deepening the crisis? How do we pull ourselves out of the mire? How do we get back on top?

President Obama must lead. He must give us a vision that will provide for more than merely tomorrow, but that will ensure our success (or at least the best chance for it) in the net decade, and the decades after that.

Themistocles was right. His arguments contributed to Greek victory over Persia, which allowed for the Golden Age of Greece...which produced some of the greatest art, philosophy, drama, and culture ever. Invest in what will preserve our future rather than what will keep us in comfort today.

Gas Bag

2009-01-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

Memo to Chris "Verbal Flatulance" Matthews:

The election is over. Have some respect for a man that served his nation for 8 years and stop trying to be clever by mocking President Bush. Your politician of choice carried the day (in an election against someone entirely different from the out-going President) and has called for an era where partisanship is cast aside in favor of a united nation. The fact that you insist on mocking those people who still support Bush, who still favor his policies, and for mocking the man himself as you blithly cover the inauguation of President Obama only reflects how very little the division of the nation had anything to do with President Bush.

You're probably too distracted by the thrills Mr. Obama delivers to your nervous system to listen to what he's been saying...

Inauguration 2009

2009-01-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

We have a new President.

Today is a day of some significance, as evident from the massive amount of press and attention, spanning the world, that is being paid to the official proceedings of our government.

Today is a good day, and we should all be celebrating our citizenship, and the government that has stood the test of time and the transfer of power, to thrive today as it ever has.

Pray for our new President, pray for our nation.

I have to admit...I hope that he succeeds. That sounds odd, as if it were a guilty pleasure. Let me put it this way: I am willing even to hope I am wrong and that he is right, with regard to his social and political agenda. I cannot hope to be persuaded that his moral ambivalence with regard to the unborn, but I can hope that in a matter as trivial as our economy or our national defense that he is more successful than I believed he would be at the time of the election.

I hope we manage to move past mere partisan politics and strive as a nation to be something more than merely prosperous (although, of course, I do hope we're prosperous). I hope we can live up to our great aspirations on this historic day. It gives me joy to recognize that the full reality of today is itself a culmination of the ambition and ideals of our nation and government.

It is tempting to hope that the world will actually receed from the brink as the result of one man. Certainly the media would have us believe it will be enough...I cannot believe our problems will cease, but I do hope and pray that under his leadership we will see positive progress on some of the fronts that currently trouble us.

I must also say that the sight of the hope this man inspires is, well, inspiring. I am optimistic as a result of the radical enthusiasm of those in the midst of the celebrations, much more from that than from the highest rhetoric; let us pray that this renewed sense of opportunity and potential sows a great harvest. I am not sure why so many have lost faith in their Republic; I do not believe that much has changed in any way so significantly that it warrants the doubt and fear that has plagued the news for so long, but let that be as it may; let us revive the belief that a nation centered the defense and perservation of God-given rights will prosper and flourish; let us show the world what liberty accomplishes in the City of Man.

God save the President of the United States and may God be gracious to our nation.

Drama?

2009-01-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

I have searched far and wide for more online lessons...and recalled Rowan Atkinson's survey of Shakespearean Drama...

As a mild warning...there's a reason actors were often associated with the dregs of society...mostly it's clean, but if you have zero tolerance for inappropriate humor, spare yourself this lesson. You get a pass.

Otherwise...school is back in session:

Math?

2009-01-08T07:56:00.001-08:00

Hat tip to Phil!

Art?

2009-01-08T07:53:00.001-08:00

Geography?

2009-01-07T21:52:00.002-08:00

Science?

2009-01-07T21:52:00.001-08:00

Sheri's Mix

2009-01-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

Odd as it might sound, I am 26, have been married over half a decade, have one 4 year old and another on the way. I am young, comparatively speaking, for the stage of life that I am in...most of my friends, if they are married, are still in the glorified dating stage...and many are still working towards the marriage stage.

As a result of being an early arrival at the Matrimonial Gates, I have had the opportunity to hear about the "love languages" many, many times.

Many times.

That's not really a complaint, since the longer you're married the more you need to reflect on how you love your spouse, and work to ensure that you are showing them affection in effective ways. I know that Sheri and I have missed each other from time to time, but I'd like to think that for the most part we connect; our marriage is better now than last year, or the year before, or the year before that.

I give gifts. Sheri wants my time and thoughts.

One of the obvious ways to combine the two was through making her a mix tape.

In the old days (when a mix tape was actually a tape...as opposed to the CD that it is now...) I would make her music using my handed-down boom-box, a gift I received once my parents got a better system for the house. I would cue up my original tapes or CD's, and press record and have to sit and wait an average of 3.5 minutes until the song was over, and then stop the recording, to cue up the next song I had meticulously chosen. Frequently the mixes would serve a duel purpose; it was to send her a message of my affection for her, and to educate her musical experience. The girl hadn't even really listened to the Beatles by the time she was a senior in high school...the situation was dire.

Still, first and foremost, I was trying to send a message. The music expressed in a different way the emotions that i felt, and I wanted to share those with her.

Once she was mine...well, my music library was hers. She listened to whatever I had, and I stopped making mixes for her...there hardly seemed a point.

Except that, she needs to hear and know how I care for her.

I made her the first mix I have made in years today. A disclaimer: if the song seems lyrically inappropriate for a mix for my beloved, I probably chose it for the music, not the lyrics. Here are my selections:

That's How You Know: Amy Adams, Enchanted (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
The Way I Am: Ingrid Michaelson, Girls and Boys
Here Comes the Sun: Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill, Together Live!
My Brilliant Feat: Colin Hay, Going Somewhere
He Came to Meet Me: Hem, Funnel Cloud
The Fire Thief: Hem, Eveningland
Hooch: Everything, In the Juju Underworld
Love Story: Taylor Swift, Fearless
Overkill: Colin Hay, Man @ Work
Bolero: InsideOut A cappella, Sharing Time
Lost Cause: Beck, Sea Change
Fresh Feeling: Eels, Meet the Eels: Essential Eels 1996 - 2006 Vol. 1
Fighting for My Love: Nil Lara, Nil Lara
Falling Slowly: Frames, The Cost
I Want You To Be My Love: Over the Rhine, Drunkard's Prayer
In the Sun: Joseph Arthur, Come to Where I'm From
Coming Back Soon: Randy Stonehill, Can't But a Miracle
How Bizarre (Mix): OMC, How Bizarre

Count Every Vote...For ME...

2009-01-06T01:39:00.000-08:00

Al Franken is a one of those smarmy pseudo-smarties that really bugs me.

I'll be up front about that. I generally find the way he presents his arguments to be offensive and deliberately demeaning to those he opposes. He uses the excuse of being a comedian to pardon him for when he is truly repulsive. It is fitting that he was the premier face of Air America, the home of the offensively dismissive liberal talk-show hosts; he set the tone for a group of people who have done their best to ensure that, in the national debate for the future of our nation, one side of the debate is perceived as completely preposterous. The Left has managed, with the help of people like Franken and his ilk, to paint the Right as so ridiculously criminal, stupid, superstitious, greedy, etc, that I find it hard to see how we can hope to have a civil discourse in the high halls of leadership.

I say all that, fully recognizing that the Republicans have done their level best to fail the nation too. We have our gas bags, our own versions of Franken. Our vices are different, but they do exist.

However...the hypocrisy of a man who spent most of the last 8 years whining about a "stolen" election, whose campaign mantra was that every vote be counted so that every vote would count, and now who wants to see the very questionable recount stand and to push through his own personal victory amidst controversy at least comparable to the circumstances of 8 years ago...well, if he turns out to be the next Democrat Senator, all I can say is that the outlook just got a little dimmer for reasonable debate in our nation.

Democrats should denounce Franken's pre-emptive claims to victory. If they really believed all the crap they spewed over Bush's victory in 2000, they should insist on a better process and a slow, meticulous recount, with real accountability. But they won't...because it's always been a political game.

Bailout everyone...even the obsolete...

2008-12-31T18:52:00.000-08:00

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

Seriously...why?

Have a Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T18:37:00.000-08:00

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

It Was Only a Matter of Time

2008-12-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-25T12:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Canis Lupis Gaseous

2008-12-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-12-21T02:43:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-21T00:59:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-18T19:43:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-17T11:58:00.000-08:00

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

Saving the American Car

2008-12-16T09:28:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

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

A Full Christmas

2008-12-14T00:17:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-11T14:26:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Speak to Us in Our Pain

2008-12-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-11-26T18:58:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T19:09:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-11-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T14:07:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-06T22:23:00.000-08:00

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

On the Day (or two) After the Election

2008-11-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-28T13:36:00.001-07:00

"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.

Be Careful What You Wish For

2008-10-21T21:44:00.001-07:00

Speaking as a young-ish Republican who, as an even younger Republican once verbally speculated that we were witnessing the complete and utter demise of the Democratic party, reading the jubilee at sites such as HuffPo or DailyKos reminds me of the atmosphere in the Republican ranks in 2002 & 2004.

There can be one major problem with getting all the power in the land...you become responsible for everything...and that will inevitably mean you will lose the favour of the mob. This reality is already sinking in on the Dems...

The Dems are catering to the mob...the Republicans haven't run the best race or articulated their arguments with the greatest eloquence, but that doesn't change the facts; this campaign, for the Dems, has been run on the momentum of a mob that is confused and unhappy with what they believe is going on in the nation. The problem with catering to a mob is that you must continue to satisfy them, or they will do what mobs do best; turn on you.

So to the Dems that may or may not be preparing to celebrate a sweeping victory..take this advice from a Republican who thought he had seen the last vestiges of a serious Democrat party 6 years ago...sometimes the worst thing that can happen to you is getting what you want.

Just know...I'll be watching and waiting to see the Utopia unfold...

I am actually NOT trying to get into trouble...

2008-10-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made...well, a mistake. It might be understandable...and thus far, nothing has come of it. Still...it comes at the beginning of a less than perfect week...I just want everything to run smoothly from now on...and yesterday didn't help...

See, I teach one of the drama classes at our school; the class for 7th & 8th graders, Monday and Wednesday. Its a lot of fun, and a little challenging; middle-schoolers are not generally prone to drama in the formal sense...its a bit like channeling a river, getting them to use their expressive energies productively.

We've done a lot of work on basic emotional expression, as well as developing their level of comfort in front of their peers, doing silly or awkward things.

Finally we've come to the time when we can begin using lines. I have been looking for sources, but haven't had a whole lot of luck. Finally one of the other teachers lent me a book, and I started picking some scenes. I picked a scene for the ladies of the class from Little Women...for the boys, of whom there are several, I had to try and find a large scene with something interesting.

I found a scene from a play called "Dead End" set sometime in 19th century, on the streets New York. 5 street kids...one rich kid...and a "Jew kid". The language was stylized to make them sound like they were from New York, and some of the sayings are a litte rough. There are issues of class prejudices, racial prejudices...but I decided we could use that to discuss some of what theater allows us to explore.

There were two or three "bad words" such as "ass" or "hell"...I figured it was nothing they hadn't encountered at some point, and we would just change the words and move on.

Somehow...I missed the real gems. I won't repeat the worst of them here... but...at one point one of the charaters teased the "rich kid" for being a sissy...and suggested that he had the appetite and eating habits of an infant...only...not quite like that...

Then there were the derisive racial slurs when the "Jew kid" entered the scene...again, in my cursory reading of the scene, somehow I missed them.

The scene ends with the 5 street kids throwing the "Jew kid" to the ground, holding him down, spreading his legs and preparing to "cockalize" him. Fortunately, none of my kids could figure out what that meant...

Sigh.

As the kids left the class room, on their way to get into their cars with their parents and go home, I heard them muttering some of the delightful new words they had picked up from my class...the end of a not so great Monday.

Important Questions

2008-10-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

Given the many issues that are up for grabs in the next 2 weeks, there are some relevant, important questions we should be asking...Hugh Hewitt mentions several of them...

Tales of the God-men

2008-10-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

I am still ruminating on this, but I need to hash it out a little bit in order to fully process it.

At the church we've attended the last two weeks, I have appreciated the approach of pastor Dave White when laying out his lessons from Philippians. He has offered historical context to his exegesis, and that is always refreshing while trying to study the scriptures.

This last Sunday, while studying Paul's exhortation to humility in Phil. ch 2, Dave reminded us that in the ancient world Christianity's call to think of others before ourselves was in fact a radical proposition. In a world whose seminal work was the Iliad, one's honor is worth dying for, one's glory the only lasting thing you might have in this world.

It was for glory that brilliant Achilles traded his life, greatest of all the Achaean's, and most to be pitied. He had two natures, for he was a god-man; a goddess for a mother, but a man for a father, because Zeus feared the prophecy telling him that Thetis' son would be his undoing. Blessed more than any other man, nearly completely invulnerable, still Achilles was doomed to die, and so he desired the only eternal thing he win for himself; glory from the field of battle.

It was Agamemnon's unjust denial of Achilles' honor that nearly poisoned the Greek campaign for Achilles would withdraw, to the ruin of the Greeks, until the field was set for his most glorious victory, the slaying of Hector, breaker of horses. Unfortunately for Achilles, this great victory would only come after he had lost more than he would have willingly sacrificed, and Achilles himself doesn't last much longer.

Achilles influence on history is significant; apart from being the hero of the most formational work of literature in the Western tradition, he was is inspiration for the first brilliant hero of Western Civilization, Alexander the Great. Alexander, claiming Achilles as both inspiration and ancestor, aspired to god-hood, and set the bar for every great leader that followed him. Julius Caesar, striving to over-take Alexander's legend, also made claims of divinity, as did Augustus after him. Soon, to be Caesar was to be a god...men carrying the mantle of the original god-man, Achilles, hoping to grasp at immortality through their own glory and honor.

Of course, this is common knowledge...but as I reflected on what we know about one of the two most influential God-men in our history, the differences were stark and illuminating. Christ preaches humility of self, and love for those around us as a motivation for our actions. Just how radically different from the lengendary Achilles is the second God-man to change the world.

"who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing tobe grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

Ramblin' On

2008-10-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Get home from the first day of the last week of 1st Quarter...and its time to ramble on...

I'm Shocked, SHOCKED, to find that there is gambling in this establishment...

2008-10-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

One question for those deeply miffed at the attacks Palin is leveling at Obama right now: how many questionable associations does Obama get to pass off before you start re-examining your assumptions about his discernment and ideas?

The really laughable thing is the delay on this outrage. These facts have been talked about for literally months. They've been discussed almost non-stop on talk-radio, and occasionally in the mainstream press. It has only been through the willful, self-inflicted blinding by the Obama-R-US press that this hasn't been talked about more. It has been something of a miracle that it hasn't been MORe of an issue until now. It's the "October Surprise" that isn't a surprise...its been there the whole time, the Obamites just wanted to ignore it.

Now, instead of either having Clinton as a candidate, or having dealt with it and moved past it, Obama, having NEVER been really vetted, is having to explain why he was comfortable having so many anti-American associations...why he is comfortable befriending rascists...why he is fine with being supported by unrepentant domestic terrorists...

But no...Bad Palin! Bad McCain! They're not nice!

I would say that it is sad to see the critics of Palin and McCain resort to name calling and stabs at their intelligence...except that they have been calling them names and telling us they are stupid ever since Palin was added to the ticket. No substantial critique...just insults. Too stupid to bother with, I suppose. That's the way to heighten the debate in the country.

4 weeks left...and tighter than ever...

**Update**

Hugh Hewitt has been following this story for months now...today brings more "malicious rumours" from the "unbalanced McCain smear campaign..."

It's the truth...it's just not something we publish

2008-10-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Our school recently took part in a community effort to get essays from students published in the local paper. The question they were writing a response to was, "Where in the world would you like to go, and why?" The answers from my 7th grade class were, predicatably, interesting and it was a joy reading their essays with not so much a critical eye, but more as a guide to the inner workings of their young minds. Some were funny. Some were serious. Some were offensive. Some were disturbing. It was a good slice of 7th grade pie.

One that resonated with me was unfortunately ineligible for sending to the paper. The student, bright and curious, had said that they wanted to visit Germany. The reason they gave was the problem though as I say, it was the paper I felt the most affinity for. The student wanted to visit Germany to see Hitler's house because they wanted to see where the great evil came from, and then they said that they wanted to go see what that evil had done, to reflect on what that evil means and how to fight against it.

Fantastic.

Forget for a moment the picture of having your Christian school's name next to an essay talking about visiting Hitler's house. I love the fact that the student wants to visit history...to be able to see the places that history happened in order to better understand that history.

Of course...once you recall the fact that this is a project for the paper...well, their essay gets good marks, though it will remain safely in my box...and only generically described here.

Its Monday Morning

2008-10-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

And I love my job.

Sure, I'm tired. I got roughly 4 hours of sleep last night. My house is in mild disarray from the weekend, to say nothing of the perpetual disarray from moving, etc. I am still sick with the phlegm that clings to my lungs despite my best efforts to hack it out. I have a slight headache from coughing so much. The body needs more care; a fact that I am trying to address in my "spare time".

Yes, I have a lot of work to do. I am slightly behind on grading. There are at least half-a-dozen things I was supposed to do before I got here this morning, and they remain undone. Hopefully this evening.

None of this matters...today I get to try and teach my students to love words. Today I get to talk to them about the magic of sitting under the stars and waiting for God to speak to them. Today I get to guide them as they meet Helen and Paris. Today I get to push them to ask questions about God's dealing with Saul...could Saul have been saved? Why doesn't David kill Saul? Why doesn't the Lord end Saul? What matters most to Saul?

It's a good day...even if it is a Monday.

Liberty and Jonathan

2008-10-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

In Romans 14, Paul speaks to us about living with each other in liberty. The restrictions Christians voluntarily place upon themselves is something that people on the outside looking in frequently don't understand. Why deny yourself? Why make life so much more difficult? Why be different? Paul knew that there were and would always be struggles between those with greater liberties, and lesser liberties. As a pharisee of pharisees, it is easy to guess at some of the challenges that faced Paul in his own ministry to the gentiles.

Still, Paul makes it clear: in Christ, the old concerns about "unclean" do not need to be an issue. Our litmus test is not Levitical Law, but Christ. Philippians 4 is a good summation of our self-imposed standard:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

This is deceptively simple. It fools many into the belief that Christianity involves no judgement, no standards by which we evaluate right and wrong; in an effort to make up for overly judgemental Christians of former generations, my generation tends to embrace acceptance on all levels, as if those labels meant nothing at all. As with Christ's message, while the gospel frees us from the Levitical code, it does not make our task easier. To honor God, you must obey in your heart, not merely your deeds. The weight of the law is revealed to be greater than any man could ever bear, save one. Paul's words in Romans, in this light, tell us that while all things, in Christ, are good, not all things are good for us.

It is our responsibility to test those things we would take in, to see if they are pleasing to the Lord. It is our task to pro-actively seek God's will, rather than passively allow others to tell us what the Lord wants for us in our lives.

Which brings me to Jonathan. In my Bible/History class, we're deep into I Samuel. The story or David has always been one of my favorites. David is a flawed man, but maintains a heart that turns to the Lord earnestly and consistently. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, is the rightful heir to the throne that David has been promised. In a drama of Homeric proportions, these two men become closest friends, and Jonathan betrays his father (and his own interests) to warn David when Saul would take his life.

The dilemma of Regicide has been something I have been thinking about a lot recently. I am also reading the Iliad in my Literature class, and Agamemnon's behavior begs the question: when is it acceptable to kill the king? Agamemnon pushes Achilles out of the Achean ranks, thereby bringing down ruin upon his own people, until Achilles is roused to action by the death of Patroclus. Why doesn't Achilles end Agamemnon? Or Diomede, Ajax, or any of the myriad of others that seem to be better warriors than the Lord of Men Agamemnon? Its something about the sacred office of the kingship, established by the gods...its something about the polis...ultimately, I am not sure where the line is. Hector shows us that, at least for him, there is no line; he will uphold the king even to the ruin of his entire world. We see in Aeschylus's Orestia Agamemnon's final downfall, and the ruin that it brings...the poet showing us the dilemma of trying to judge the sins of the king. What man can make this decision?

I realize my thoughts are scattered...hold on now, I'm bringing them all together...

Jonathan sides with the annointed one of the Lord, David, over his father, the king. He is active, making a choice to do what be actively believed was right, even at a cost to him and his family. If there is a lesson to pull from all of my scattered thoughts, I think this is it: in our lives, we are allowed to enjoy liberties that challenge all conventional wisdom from religious scholars throughout the ages. Its the freedom of life in Christ. But with that freedom comes a responsibility that we neglect far to often as we embrace that freedom. It demands that we participate in our actions consciously, that we evaluate and measure our steps appropriately, in accordance to what we believe the Lord has allowed for us. The only way to know what the Lord has allowed us to do is to seek His will, earnestly. It may bring us to decisions that upset the norm, that shake the foundations of the establishment...and there may be a price to be paid.

Still, I think when all is said and done, Jonathan shows us clearly that the active responsibility of liberty provides us with opportunities to show love in ways that seem entirely unlikely.

Reading Outside of Class

2008-09-30T14:12:00.001-07:00

In an effort to make myself a better source for my students, I have resolved to start reading more. I will be interested to see how much I am actually able to get through during my lunch periods, in off periods, and what not...when I am not supposed to be grading.

Since I anticipated this to be a problem, I chose a book that would, at the very least, further my knowledge of the subjects I am teaching. This was my choice: We will see if I can finish it before the end of the 1st Quarter (the end of October) and what will be even more interesting will be to see if I can post a review. I am excited though...good to emerse myself in the Greek world (I'm already reading Homer, Thucydides, etc) and to engage a modern mind trying to explain them to the modern world. Good times.

Something every teacher should know

2008-09-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

How many kids they could take in a knock down, drag out, fight.

31

Created by OnePlusYou - Online Dating Site

Change is a good thing

2008-09-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

Especially when Blogger has made it increasingly easy to change everything wit the simple click of a button. Me likey.

In Defense of Palin Pt 2

2008-09-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

To Continue ...

2. Sarah Palin's persona is a boon to the office. She unites a party that has been looking for a leader they can support. The more experience she acquires, the more tether she will be gathering up for her own run for President. She is charming, relate-able, and more than all of that...she exhibits the values that Conservative Republicans such as myself have been waiting to see up for election to the highest offices in the land.

We need a communicator in the driver's seat. McCain is able to talk to the American people...but everyone knows that Obama gives the better speach (which is not to say, "is the better speaker" because, as everyone who is not drinking Obama-aid will acknowledge, he's down-right bad when he's off the cuff. He's dangerous and gaffe prone...because his unfiltered thoughts are dangerous and offensive to many; think about the way he talked about "punishing" his daughter by holding her responsible for her poor choices). McCain's tenure will not be the golden age of rhetoric in American politics. But Palin might be that ray of sunshine...and that's exciting. I want a leader I don't have to translate for, and I believe she offers us that...which makes her an exciting pick.

Republicans who never enjoyed the era of Reagan, but were raised hearing nearly mythic tales of his abilities to navigate politics, the press, communists and stand for articulate morality (inotherwords...Republicans like me...roughly in their early to mid 20's) have been waiting for someone we could be excited about. When George W Bush first ran for President, I knew essentially nothing about politics. I didn't vote, because I was a Freshman in college and didn't care enough to wait in line; not something I am proud of, but its where I was at. Four years later, a lot changed, and though I argued long and hard for the reasons to keep the Republicans in office, I had learned something that my civics class never managed to communicate effectively: the President is the communicator if chief, and we need the President to be able to lead, not just in action, but in word (that sounds backwards, I realize, but its true nonetheless; I believe, firmly, that President Bush has led in action with regard to many important issues...but at a critical time, when communication was desperately needed, he failed miserably). It is exciting, in a way that nearly defies explanation, to see leaders in the wings of my party that will offer an alternative to this problem; leadership that can ignite passion throughout the party and, more importantly, in the nation as a whole, through the force and power of their words, married to the testament of their own example. Its inspiring and challenges us all to reconsider the low bar we are willing to tolerate from our leaders. It is much needed.

The truly unfortunate reality is that the counter-balance to the Religious-Right Republicans in our society has been a really unbalanced Progressive Left. That the Democratic party has nominated one of the most Liberal Senators to run for President speaks of the alarming power this portion of the party holds over the party as a whole. I feel for my Democrat Christian friends...I don't understand why they are supporters of Obama, but I do feel for them. Their party is, seemingly, married to supporting unlimited Abortion; they will negotiate, unreservedly, with known terrorists; they will withdraw troops from an ever more successful project for Liberty in the middle of the Middle East, ignoring the advice of the commanders on the ground in favor of their own opinions.

In otherwords, they have given control of the party to the far-Left wing...and middle ground is difficult to discover. The sad result of this truth is that it is not acceptable to promote the success of the Democrats, even when the Republicans have gross failures of leadership...because the alternative is both immoral and unsound for our continued security. Those issues come before the question of the morality of social programs (or lack thereof) or the issues of national spending, debt, education, healthcare, etc. Life and Security trump all other rights (not by a lot, because Life and Secuirty are not EVERYTHING...but by enough to make the difference in an election that offers me only one clear choice in support of those values). I can tolerate a well defined, reasonable argument on many topics...suggesting that a woman's right to choose comes before the right to life for the unborn is so wickedly perverted that I cannot come to table with Pelosi, Obama, Reid, Clinton, Biden, etc.

I believe Palin might offer an opportunity to rediscover the vast middle ground that unites us, instead of continuing the dissent on the issues that divide us. Her appeal crosses long established lines...there are women in both parties, moms in both parties - should she be elected as VP and then go on to race again for the top spot, I believe "With malice towards none and forgiveness towards all..." We have come a long way from the War of the States, yet our nation is deeply divided. On both sides seeds of disdain and emnity are sown; perhaps it is because I am of the Right, but my perception is that the hateful, dismissive manners of the Left make a reunion more and more unlikely. Individuals of the social upper-crust speak in terms that are not acceptable in general society about the leaders of our society...which lowers the debate and weakens our general powers of debate and thought as a result. Politics is a contact sport...but for it to remain halthy, we need politicians that can remind us of our commoninity, rather than divide us in a war for power. I believe that the Gov. of Alaska, with home-town charm, and wit-with-a-smile, can offer that.

As of 9/18/08

2008-09-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

BOARD OF REGISTERED NURSING:

Licensee Name: LEIGH SHERI
License Type: Registered Nurse
License Status: ACTIVE

Can we say...woohoo?

In Defense of Palin Pt 1

2008-09-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

It is always good to be challenged to defend my opinions about, well, anything...but especially things that perhaps I haven't fleshed out seriously. There is always the chance I haven't thought about them (or haven't considered the counter-arguments to my self-proclaimed position of truth and reason) and by working to defend my prior thoughts, frequently I learn more about why I hold certain positions...or I learn to change my position to a better one.

This is my preface to defending Palin. None (I started to say "Many"...but lets be honest...) of my arguments are not original...which is somewhat fair, since none of the critiques leveled at her on this blog are original either. Enough. Here are my thoughts.

1. Palin's experience (or apparent lack thereof) is not detrimental...is anything, it recommends her to the position of VP.

We can talk about the comparison of Obama and Palin's respective experiences in government (though, again, Obama is running for the top job...Palin is the second stringer). Obama has mostly run for office his entire political career. He has rarely stuck around long enough to contribute to the process...even before he was active politically (on a national level) as part of the academic world, he barely contributed to the ongoing discourse in a tangible, lasting way. No papers of import.

Contrast this with Palin's record, during her admittedly short period in politics. Of course I am being terribly biased. Obama has accomplishments to hang his hat on. Debunking/debating the merit of those is a future post's responsibility. My task, in this post, is to defend my belief that Sarah Palin is qualified to be a great VP, and if need be President. She has exhibited foresight and a commitment to implementing changes that will effect infrastructure and, as a result, the real day to day lives of Americans. She is unpopular amongst politicians of her own state, while being wildly popular with the actual people. These things all speak well of her ability to not only lead, but act in our best interest.

We could discuss the value of executive experience VS legislative experience. The President is the chief executive...which means that those who have handled the top job in any nearly any level of government have more familiarity with what it takes to be President than those that don't (in fairness, the federal government is significantly different from all other levels of government...and having experience at that level does and should count for something). In this case, we have 3 senators and one Governor in the election. It is somewhat of a mystery to me why, when Congress has an approval rating lower than the President's, we put members of Congress on the ballots, but we did. Still, Palin offers something that nobody in the race offers; executive experience from outside of Washington and the Capitol. That may not sound important...but looking at our nation, it certainly seems to resonate with the desires of our nation, and I think it will turn out to be an asset in governing.

Lets also recognize that whoever the next President/VP is, there will be several advisers for them. They will not be making decisions based solely on their own research, their own experience, or even their own opinions. This should make us all feel a little safer...especially if a lightweight such as Obama does get the big chair. Should Palin be the one to navigate the waters of Iraq, N. Korea, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Venezuela, etc in the event of McCain's death, I believe she will be capable of taking on those challenges. This is, in part, because of her seemingly default response to new and potentially frightening challenges. This is, in part, because I am convinced that she, as a Conservative, leans towards a position that lends itself to one of peace through strength. From her natural leadership to her personal convictions (which one can see easily by taking even a cursory look at her personal life), I believe she embodies qualities that make a good, possibly even great leader. If duty called her to the plate, she would be up to the task, based on her own character. The tools for the job, in part, come with the job. What characterizes the person that uses them is what determines who we vote for.

Yearning and Burning

2008-09-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

As I am now in the midst of the school year, and already having to navigate through parent/teacher meetings, I can remember very clearly my parents encouraging me to be proactive, not reactive, in nature. To lead, rather than follow in life. As a student who found school a general waste of time (until high school...then it was the math, science, keyboarding, and other practical classes that were wasting my time...until I could get to photo, Literature, History, choir, pottery, etc...and then theatre & wrestling after school...) I was frequently on the receiving end of discussions aiming to change my behavior in a positive way. To get me to focus, to work hard...to strive as if I cared.

The problem was...I didn't. I didn't understand how or why it mattered...it was just boring and difficult (Algebra II) or too easy to bother working hard (History and Lit).

Coming to college, many things changed. Part of growing up involved learning to take pride in my work. Part of winning the heart of a girl-genius-nurse meant no longer being content with my slacker status. Part of trying to find meaningful connections with people meant I had to be someone thoughtful people wanted to talk to...which meant thinking more myself. I did not suddenly become a brilliant student...it is safe to say I am a better student (in some ways) 4 years after school ended than I was during my time at Biola and Torrey.

Part of it revolves around the cultivation of a real earnest desire to grow and change. I am not saying this in a self-congratulatory manner; my desires are deeply flawed. At more than one point, a spirit of competition and envy for the excellence of my fellows drove me far more than my desire to find the good, the true, or beauty. Fortunately, while still suffering from my own soul-sickness, I was emersed in good things. By God's grace, some things began to catch...and I started to yearn for good things, true things, beautiful things, rather than other things. To yearn for real things, and choose them over false pleasures and vain things.

How do we stoke our hearts to yearn for the things of the Lord? How do we turn our souls to seek the Lord...how can we emerse ourselves in Him, long enough to extinguish the misguided pangs that would distract us from the real things that can change who we are?

Lord God have mercy on us; find us when we are lost, draw us to you, even as we seek after our own desires.

I Miss My Wife, or Why Having Your Wife at Home is Better Than Almost Anything Else

2008-09-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

Sheri is taking the Nursing Boards today.

Its been a long, long two weeks of September.

We moved up to Valencia in August. I work up here now. Sheri still works down there (right next to Angel stadium). The gas alone was killing us...and she had to find time to study for the boards...a serious problem.

Then, out of the blue, we had friends that offered to put Sheri up at their house down in Brea during the week, or whenever she had a stretch of days when she needed to be down in that area for work, etc. It was an unlooked for blessing.

It has meant that I am getting a taste of being a sinlge parent. I am alone, in a house that still needs a lot of work to get it "right"...I don't have a car (we are still a one car family). I have been getting into the school year, getting Aiden to school, starting the football season as "headcoach" (ridiculous...but fun)...and I don't sleep well at all when my wife is not at home.

On Friday, I had to go home because I had a such a bad headache...because I am just not getting enough sleep. The boy misses mommy and is sad at night. So many things are not right...and its all because she's not home with us.

Fortunately, this will be done, completely done, by the end of September. Until then...two more long, long, long weeks of September left...

Reasons I Love My Job

2008-09-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

1. The Students.

My students are bright, pleasant, cheerful, and open to learning. They have hope for a good tomorrow...and by spending time in the class with them, I am inspired to be a better person myself. My experience with teach has been, for some time now, a sanctifying one. I frequently fail...but to do the job well, as I look at my students, I know that I have more work to do...and I want to make a real go of it.

2. The Administration...seriously. I don't believe they even know I have a blog...but that is neither here nor there. This isn't about brownie points...its a very real acknowledgement. I have been blessed, throughout most of my time teaching, with excellent administrators. Sometimes I failed them...sometimes their bosses forced them to fail me. At Trinity...well, my bosses (from the very top on down too!) have the vision. They want education to expand the souls of the students...not merely equip them to pass tests and get jobs, based on the ridiculous suggestion that people with larger souls are more desireable people as a whole. They support the teachers in a way that separates them from many, many schools (I know this from stories from other teachers...) It is a blessing, and its one I thank God for regularly.

3. The opportunity to grow in this school. To some extent, the ceiling is set by my own ambition. Nearly every suggestion I have made regarding class content, class events, class structure, etc has been met with one basic question; how does it further the purpose of the class? If it is reasonable and if I can show how it supports the mission of the class...I get the green light. I am amazed by this approach towards growing the school...and excited by what that means in the years to come.

On the ABC Interview

2008-09-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Just a brief thought on the supposed stumble regarding the "Bush Doctrine" by Palin last week: it makes no sense to commit to an as-of-yet undefined term.

Gibson hadn't defined what the ambiguous doctrine is (in fact). No politican worth their salt would commit to supporting such a nebulous thought, without further follow-up from the questioner. She affirmed the essentials of the Bush position, without tying herself irreversably to a term that carries enormous baggage. She stepped lightly.

I'll be honest and say that I wish she could have answered more directly some of his loaded questions. In reality though, its probably better that she didn't.

Striking the Right Tones

2008-09-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

So...Gov. Palin took a very hefty whack at her critics last night. Opinions are even starting to change about her ability to handle Joe Biden in the debate in Oct...I have to say, I have believed she could handle it, but I think conventional wisdom is shifting the more we hear her speak. She's so capable of taking out your kneecaps, warmly, endearingly, smiling the whole time.

She was bright, pleasant, enjoyable, and dangerous for those that take her lightly. She was unifying for the base...Republicans who have been waiting for the next real Reagan may just get one in Palin. She's a whole package...she excites the base, while being relatable to everyone else. She knows how to play to the room (can we all agree that it is refreshing to have politicians that know they need to communicate on TV?) but still conveys normalcy, rather than the jaded type of political wisdom that is there so often from professional politicans. Whether she ever gets the top job or not, she makes young Republicans happy, because we've always contested that it is possible to live as a Conservative, think as a Conservative, and govern as a Conservative without falling into the stereotype of being and "old, out of touch white man". She's not the top of the ticket...the top of the ticket is much closer to the stereotype...but having her on the ticket at all speaks volumes for the future of the party...even under the guidance of a more stereo-typical candidate, such as John McCain.

Rather than the candidate of change bowing to the establishment, a more established candidate pushed the party towards a real reformer that represents the values the future of the party want more of.

The biggest message of her speech? Small town values aren't merely quaint, old fashioned and going out of style. America has far more people who what to be considered normal than vicitims. America is filled with many more people who don't go the Ivy schools and struggle with real family decisions and are impacted by the civil servants of small town government more than the professional politicans of Washington. America has far more people of Religious conviction than bitter, disillusioned hicks.

This is one of the reasons why McCain will not try to produce his own stadium of adoration. He will speak in the forum that first started momentum for his campaign...in a much more intimate, townhall setting. Republicans aren't making a grab for "independents"...they're making a play for America, period. Families, real people, real towns, actual concerns and relatable leaders.

Its not new...Obama (and now Biden...which is really funny, because Biden IS a suit...) typically avoids the suit look. Most talks, he prefers the white shirt, rolled up sleeves. Regular Joe. One of the people. Of course...he's not...but he is trying to condescend to the regular people, in an attempt to convince them that HE is their man. Hard to out relate an actual regular mom...harder still when you're in no way "regular". Obama's magical qualities will turn out to be a problem in a campaign where really being one of the people is actually an issue, rather than a mere cosmetic discussion. Harder still to out manuver the Governor with your experience in the community.

Of course, the press don't understand the situation. We've called for someone normal for so long that now, when there's someone normal on the ticket...well, who invited them? Its amusing to see them fall over themselves. I don't believe they will reconcile themselves to Palin, even though it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify their disdain. They had put their money on the Obama race...and Palin opens up their foregone conclusion to new debate. Grrrr. Argh. Boo. Hiss. I expect more of the same. They're frustrated by their inability to turn the discourse back. As they get more desperate, watch for more mountains out of molehills...more vicious backhands on issues not related to politics. Its only getting started...though I have to say, I think we're closer to seeing the complete demise of Obama's campaign than ever before. If Palin gets any more likeable, it will collapse in on itself.

'Tis the Season

2008-09-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Our life has been, well, busy of late.

Pictures WILL come...but we're doing the home-making thing. It never ends. Even if I weren't committed to my new home until I am 56, I am secured to the new place by the bonds of paint, sawdust, Spackle, blood, sweat, and tears (those are mostly Sheri's...)

I'm starting school. Sheri's working, and studying for her boards (in 2 weeks! ACK! hence the tears...) Aiden is in preschool and is hopefully happier to there than at home, as home tends to be full of things he cannot do, since we're still trying to get it into at least working order, from the move.

We are working on one car...which meant that I got to walk Aiden to school today, and then bike myself to school, with roughly 5 minutes before class started to catch my breath.

I'm tired, mostly.

Many evenings of late, once Aiden is asleep, Sheri and I have had the energy to essentially watch some TV to unwind and then go to bed. We're wiped. And every time we tell anyone about where we're at, the general response is a look of pity, a sigh/pat on the shoulder, and these words; "Its just a season."

This is kindly meant, and I have appreciated the perspective. But the thing I realized this morning, as I returned from taking Aiden to school, and put my bag together and then darted out myself, was that I don't want this season to last. That may sound obvious, but something my Dad said to me the other day when I said those words myself made me think; he encouraged me to avoid allowing the excuses of this difficult season to become habits that become a part of our normal life.

This is really important, since life is never, really, all that normal. You pick up habits along the way, and if you're not careful before you know it you are the person you are going to be. If you are going to have a say in what sticks, you have to fight, even in the midst of "a season" to keep certain things merely seasonal, and to never entirely lose those practices you want to be characterize your "real" life.

I did not marry Sheri to spend my evenings with her watching TV. We did not have Aiden to ignore him or keep him entertained but not interact with him. I am not teaching so I don't have to think about good books and difficult thoughts. We are not working on a house to avoid having a home.

I did not receive salvation from Christ only to call out to Him in my moments of need, but ignore him when I am feeling just fine.

It is easy to make excuses, but being a whole person is not a quick or easy task; it requires vigilance and honest to goodness work. It requires that I give the little energy I have, during the little free-time I have, to love my son and teach him about life, rather than play a game, reading a fluff book or even sleeping. It demands that I use the time I have when Aiden is healthily occupied to work on lesson plans or make the home a better place for my wife and son. First and foremost, it requires that I spend more time meditating in quiet relfection on the great goodness of God, rather than filling my mind with every other argument I can find about politics, or pop-culture, or whatever else that so easily distracts. Of necessity, my actions will be influenced by what I spend my time thinking about...ultimately Christian service can only flow from someone that is honestly seeking to please the Lord in all things. How else can I expect, at the end of the day, to know my Savior better? To serve Him as I want to want to serve Him? Or for my son to know me? Or to have a wife...30 years from now, when we aren't fighting to make the house/job/transportation/income/boards/etc juggling act work?

The season cannot be the reason that we live as we live. If we are to have anything in the end, we must counter-act the natural tendency to excuse ourselves because of circumstances. Ultimately, I want more than just whatever I would settle for because I am tired.

Are those nails I hear?

2008-08-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

I believe that the election may have been won today.

Obviously I'm of a fairly mainstream Republican vent...but I think that this news bodes very well for John McCain.

Governor Palin is a solid Conservative, which will sit well with the Conservatives that have been less than enthusiastic about McCain. It also signals to the entire party that the future is NOT in moderate, middle of the road politics; its in real, life tested good old fashioned Conservatism that we have been wanting for decades. Such a signal should encourage Conservatives that might otherwise have stayed home to come out and vote; after all, the future of the party belongs to us, if we will do the hard work of getting a Republican elected in a Democrat year. Everyone for weeks has been saying that it was doubtful that the VP's would have any tangible effect on the outcome of the election. I think that, with McCain on the front of the ticket, the Republican VP choice will be a major deciding factor for the election...and this was the right move.

It knocks Obama off his "historic campaign" podium. Now, whoever wins, history will be made.

It opens up the potential for those voters that like John McCain and were sorely disappointed by Clinton's complete snubbing by Obama, to vote for a woman to be in those highest halls of government. In short, this could shift major power back to the Republican party. Time will tell, but if this has any trickle down effect on who runs in the party, I think the change will be dramatic. Look to see more exciting and dynamic Conservative leaders start taking the reins...and then, look to see Congress switch hands again.

It increases the chance of Joe Biden making a major gaffe. How to insult the first major woman VP candidate without appearing to be condescending, smug, or chauvinist? Tricky...especially when you're as prone to appear that way as Biden already is.

It challenges the perception that the Republicans are the insiders in this race. With Biden on the ticket, that was already an issue for the Dems...now, with a governor from Alaska (nearly as far from Washington as possible), Republicans have the only candidate that wasn't previously working in Washington, and the only candidate that has served as a government executive.

She has the upper hand on the issue of drilling, as its an issue literally in her own backyard. She is a living challenge to Obama's radical acceptance of abortion. McCain and Palin will both be able to support seeing the war through to victory with credibility, since they both have sons in the military in Iraq. Expect to see soccer moms by the van-load turn out for the McCain-Plain ticket; she is one of them, and a darn fine one from everything we can tell. The perfect balance to the suggestions that McCain is the "out-of-touch" candidate, because of his many homes. As much as any successful politician can be, she is in touch with regular people.

***Potential Problems***

There are, of course, issues with any VP pick, their strengths not withstanding. Gov. Palin is relatively new to major politics...roughly as new as Sen. Obama. Still, the experience gap should not be a problem for the Republicans, since the experience of our VP is comparable to the experience of their President. We front-loaded the top of the ticket...Biden, we have to assume, was an attempt to solve a major problem from Obama. Unfortunately, that has to be tempered with the reality that Biden is a Washington Insider; if change is the order of the day, Biden is very out of place. Palin, the only executive in the race, has the experience she needs to be a qualified VP, while not being tainted by being the perpetual politician that her counterpart is.

Can she handle the scrutiny of a national campaign? I think so...having seen some of her public appearances previously and watching her now. Time will tell. I do think that, when going up against Biden, she needs to be tough, but will manage to avoid becoming shrill and domineering like Hillary Clinton. We all understand the difficult position Clinton was in, wanting to hit Obama, but being unable to do so AND appear feminine AND avoid making problems for herself with her own party AND leave wiggle room for the general. Palin doesn't have to worry about that. She can play hard, but still be the hockey mom. I think she's in a prime position to play Biden's bluddering tongue against him, while hitting hard on the ample problems he brings to the Change/Hope ticket.

It may be premature, but I believe the casket is closing on Obama's Icarus-esque rise and fall in the 2008 election campaign. Just over two months left...we shall see...

Dear Obama: Thanks for That!

2008-08-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

I finally get to blog again...and Obama makes Biden his VP choice. Its like a welcome back gift...

It is unclear to me why this is the smart choice; from the speech Biden made today there are an obvious group of sound bytes that will undoubted feature prominently in Ads that will start rolling out...immediately. I can see it now...images of Joe Biden speaking today saying, "These times require more than a good soldier. They require a wise leader," followed by any one of Biden's statements about Obama's inexperience and dangerous unfamiliarity with delicate matters of state. Using old opponents to cut at Obama is nothing new, but then, Obama put this guy on the ticket...so its to be expected.

It also poses a problem for the "candidate of change" to pick Biden, who has been in the Senate longer than almost everyone ("In all my time in the United States Senate, and I want you to know there's only four senators senior to me, but Barack, there's still 44 older than me"). There are few people that could be considered more of an insider than Joe Biden. This doesn't solve the problem of Obama's lack of experience (since Biden is also inexperienced as an executive)...what it does do is suggest that Obama is not really out of the shadow of the establishment after all. In fact, this pick will likely deflate his message of change and hope, as Biden attracts very few new voters, and brings mostly only old Democrat baggage with him to the ticket.

I think this is unfortunate, and I am sure those that are willing Obama to overcome his last great race must agree. A part of me wishes that Obama's rhetoric wasn't just words to get him elected (he is very like-able, after all) and if what little record he did have didn't point to a radically liberal worldview, I might almost be tempted to believe that he represented a candidate that could resolve some real problems in our government. Reality is harsh in that way. He is radically liberal...and it looks like his rhetoric is sadly empty. Rather than the politics of change, he is embracing one of the poster-boys of the same old song. I really do wonder why he didn't court Jim Webb...Webb struck me as a problem for the Republicans, but apparently he was not in keeping with the Hope and Change that Obama wants to bring to the nation--granted, his time in office is much like Obama's, but then perhaps that's a good thing when you're preaching a new kind of politics. Curiouser and curiouser do I yet grow.

What must McCain do, to bounce back from this crushing, devastating pick? Pick someone with experience; someone that is not an insider, is younger than he is (not a MUST, but preferable) and someone that can hit Biden hard while he's telling us stories about his favorite topic...himself. I am not sure Hewitt is right on the money (a scary thing to suggest, since I think he's pretty darn smart)...Romney would carry some of the same baggage as Biden does for Obama, having argued against McCain in the primaries. Pawlenty remains a strong possibility as well. Romney still has a lot of positives in his corner; it just remains to be seen if the risk of a Mormon that McCain ran against is the prefered choice for McCain. Time will tell. The point is, his options are huge, thanks to a really bad choice on Obama's part.

Oh...and Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania...that's right...THAT Scranton.

At the End of the Summer

2008-08-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Summer is about to end, and I might actually have more time to finally reflect on what has been happening now then I did during the three months of vacation.

This Summer was a good time for our family. We traveled for the first time since our Honeymoon for the purpose of pleasure. For the first time in 5 years, we got a vacation. In Cancun, the beaches were beautiful, the saphire water , and the wind warm and wet. Sheri and I spent the whole time feeling like we were back home in the Philippines. We stood in on the field amidst ruins of Mayan temples that were being used while Rome was fighting off the Huns during a lightening storm. I narrowly avoided ending up in a Mexican prison. I almost broke the trade embargo on Cuba. It was a good vacation.

We bought a house in Valencia. After living for 5 years in the same small and overly cramped apartment, its difficult to express just how exciting it is to be expanding into nearly 2000 sq ft. Aiden will finally have his own room...Sheri and I will have our own room...I will have an office. While I would never describe myself as even remotely sad to leave "Ramhurst Manor" there can be no denying that, as I walked through the barren apartment Tuesday evening, it was a moment worthy of reflection. It was the place my bride and I called home after our wedding. It was where we shared our first Christmas together. Where we brought my son home from the hospital. I have never lived anywhere as long as we lived in that apartment, and though I can barely express my excitement about moving (though that might also be because I am exhausted from moving and painting...) it holds a special place in my heart.

I am starting my new job (yes, again...) at Trinity Classical Academy. I will be teaching really great 7th and 8th grade students Writing, Lit, Bible, History, Logic, and Theatre. Its been a great Summer. Hopefully I'll finally get enough time to blog!

Family Pics

2008-06-30T10:00:00.001-07:00

What's Been Goin' On

2008-05-19T15:36:00.001-07:00

There's a story...and I will get to tell it soon...

Right now though, Sheri graduates this Saturday. Can we say Awe-some?

Santa Barbara Pt 5

2008-04-23T20:28:00.001-07:00

Santa Barbara Pt 4

2008-04-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara Pt3

2008-04-21T21:10:00.001-07:00

Santa Barbara Pt 2

2008-04-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara Pt 1

2008-04-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

In Defense of Superman

2008-04-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me this. I read it and responded...and thought that it was a discussion worth having out loud. Here are my thoughts:

I could go into a lot of reasons that writer’s an idiot…apart from his inability to write well, his approach to reading is also about as refined as the 13 year olds that toss out Superman comics, thinking they have found the truly profound “real” comics because they started reading some Frank Miller (and I like Frank Miller…but his stuff doesn’t compare to Kingdom Come)…

But the real problem with this writer is that he doesn’t understand the nature of a hero or the power of the image that Superman represents. Superman cannot be harmed…he is a god among men…but serves instead he serves us. Batman is a man who decides to circumvent the institutes of men to establish justice as he sees fit. He’s also a hero…but I think it is grossly naïve to suggest that Batman is a greater hero because he struggles against other men, outside the law, all the while ignoring the fact that Superman struggles to empower other men within the law.

The writer also ignores the real psychological battles Superman deals with—something epics like Kingdom Come wrestle with. How does a god-man live in a world of fallen men…and not hate them? How does he not only not hate them; he serves them? Superman is hope personified; not because he cannot be harmed, but because he strives for beings so much less than himself…because he takes on man’s burdens as his own, and loves them better than they love themselves. In short, the writer lacks any sense of the subtlety which makes Superman perhaps the greatest Superhero of all time. It’s why Superman is such a Christ-like hero.

If the compulsion to contemplate suicide is what qualifies you for being a “real” hero for this writer, I hope it is obvious that his opinion of what a hero is needs some realigning. While heroes experiencing real struggles help us relate to them, why should we expect our heroes to be more messed up than most of us? Do you normally contemplate suicide? I certainly don’t…and I am hardly convinced that the better hero is an individual that hates his life enough to wish for death, rather than an individual who values life enough to place ours as a premium.

These are my thoughts.

Good Ol' Fashioned Work

2008-04-09T13:46:00.001-07:00

I don't envy the Democrats. True, they have the momentum on their side; and many have reflected on the fact that this should be a "Democrat" election year. Their opponent is McCain, a man that Republicans don't exactly love...and the Dems aren't running the stereo-type of an old white man.

Still, Democrat heroes have taken a stance that is difficult to actually rally people around. On at least two issues, Obama has positioned himself in the extreme left wing of his party (something that plays alright in primaries, but can be devastating in national elections). He considers having an unwanted child a punishment, so it is not surprising that he supports partial-birth abortion; and he maintains his claim that going to Iraq was a huge strategic blunder, and intends to draw down our presence there until we have essentially only enough support for our embassy.

Clinton is essentially in the same boat, except that (because of Obama's position on the war) she has to work hard to paint the war as a complete failure, since she originally supported it; her task is to suggest that what she envisioned and voted for was in no way akin to what has become reality. This means suggesting that our troops have failed, and telling the commander of our forces in Iraq that he is essentially lying to our government and our populace when he suggests that the surge has produced results and persistence is required.

The other Dems are, of course, following suit.

What I don't understand is why they are determined to push for an unreasonable result, when there is progress being made. If they hadn't married themselves to the bad idea of proclaiming the work in Iraq a failure before it was really begun, they could engage reasonably in a discussion about how to do it better. But they are now committed to the idea that Iraq is our new Vietnam, and are thus pursuing a course of action which, if it is voted into power in November, will ensure they are self-fulfilling prophets.

If we pull out of Iraq, Iraq will collapse. If we stay the course, Democracy might just survive and thrive in an area that has been opposed to Democracy since...forever.

This concept, of persisting even when a task is difficult, perhaps more difficult than we ever expected it to be, should not be as foreign as it appears to be to our leadership. Without endurance, no great accomplishment is ever achieved.

What Petraeus and Crocker make clear in their report is that the progress which has been made is still growing roots. We did not abandon our work in the midst of the worst turmoil...why should we pack up and go home now that we are finally seeing some fruit from our labor?

I do not envy the Dems...their success depends on convincing the majority of Americans that hard work doesn't pay-off...that great success shouldn't involve great risk. In a time of recession, I suspect more and more Americans will become aware that a real work ethic is invaluable...and is the only hope of producing lasting results.

El Morro Pt3

2008-04-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

El Morro Pt2

2008-04-07T20:57:00.001-07:00