Second Drafts

September's Third Weekend

For as long as I can remember, my hometown of Griggsville, IL (population 1,300 and self-proclaimed "Purple Martin Capital of the Nation"), has always hosted its annual Apple Festival on the third weekend of September.

Put briefly for my more urban readers, the Apple Festival is a semi-epic celebration of small town life, complete with more small town culture than you can shake a stick at...and I've got proof.

We knew it was going to be a great weekend right off the bat when, just ten minutes before arrival in Griggsville, we saw this on the way:

Yep, that's Jesus joyriding in the back of a camouflage-trimmed Hemi. Megan and I saw it, turned to each other as we drove by, and knew we would be turning around to get a picture (or two). Nothing says "Bless me, Lord, as I blow away this deer" like a concrete statue of the Savior in the back of a camo pick-up. Here's a closer look:

Friday evening at the Apple Festival is always magical, with the dark of night and generally inadequate lighting covering a multitude of aesthetic sins. The stage - the same one used for the past 25 years - is decorated in some random theme that has nothing to do with apples or the region, and this year, the theme had something to do with the Wild West (as illustrated by the Looney Tunes cactus and floating horseshoe):

Still, my favorite decoration theme remains the elephant background from 2005:

But I digress. Friday finished up with some good, greasy eats and two hours of questionable parenting ("What, you want to run around by yourself on the square among hundreds of people you don't know? Okay, as long as you're in pairs."). Halfway through the Miss Apple Festival pageant, we decided it was time to go and herded everyone up and headed for the farm for some shut-eye.

Morning came early. In honor of my sister, Jamie's, birthday (on Apple Festival weekend, no less!), we had a wonderful breakfast that my mom, Char, fixed. The girls and their four cousins then played outside for most of the morning as the weather was beautiful. Later that morning, Megan and I went for a nice walk and listened to the corn grow before heading into town for lunch. From there, it was parade time.

Back in the day, I marched in the marching band eight years in this parade (from 5th grade to senior year). Previous to that, our family always entered a float and threw a whole lot of candy out to scrambling kids along the side of the road. In more recent years (that is, since moving back to the Midwest in 2005), we "floated" with our kids, but last year the family retired from "floating" and let our kids scramble for the sweets this time around. They enjoyed it, as evidenced below:

Here's Grandpa (center) carrying the American flag in the local Legion's color guard:

Here's Barney Fife's police car from The Andy Griffith Show (don't ask me why or how):

Here's one of Griggsville's three fire trucks (complete with softball team riding on top):

Here's one of seven marching bands (favorite band tune of the day: "Don't Need Nothin' But a Good Time" by Poison; yeah, that covers well with horns):

Here's a blow-up Officer Friendly (a person was inside making the arms wave):

Here's the "Mohawk Farmer" (as dubbed by Megan):

Here's one of only a few floats (this one in the "apple-themed" category) in the parade:

Here's Grandpa again, hamming it up for the grandkids and driving an old-time tractor (he had a quick turnaround from the color guard - notice the American Legion pants):

And here are some horses to signify that the parade is officially coming to an end:

After the parade, we walked up to the square and watched high school band members excitedly win donated seed corn caps and T-shirts thrown from the stage, while adults who entered the hourly raffle won things like free 64 oz. sodas from the local convenience store (a $2 value!) and rabies/distemper shots from the local veterinarian (for their pets, presumably).

At this point, Megan and I looked at each other and agreed we'd had our fill and were ready to head home. With John Mellencamp singing "Little Pink Houses" on the iPod and four little girls delirious from all they had experienced (or as likely, consumed), we made the trip back to St. Louis grateful to have once again made this rural getaway.

"Oh, but ain't that America - you and me
Ain't that America - something to see, baby
Ain't that America - home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me"

Getting Out of Dodge

Yesterday I asked my friend and bookstore boss, Nick, how he was doing. His response: "Life's winning." Seeing as how I feel the same way, we're heading to the farm this weekend for the Griggsville Apple Festival (and a break).

Megan jokes that the Apple Festival should be renamed the "Corn Dog Festival," as there's nary an apple to be found (the town's two orchards closed down years ago). We'll leave the naming rights to someone in charge and instead enjoy some butterfly porkchops, funnel cake, and a bit of authentic rural Americana.

For a look at least year's experience, click here.

Hurricane Ike Hits...St. Louis?

The remains of Hurricane Ike blew through the Midwest late last night and early this morning, downing a tree limb in our backyard, taking out power at our church (we worshipped by candlelight), and flooding the basement of the building that houses the More Than Carpentry ministry our church helps support in Wellston (to answer the question of "why Wellston?," read this story published today in the Post-Dispatch).

While the rain was abundant and hard, the majority of the flooding came from a nearby stream that jumped its banks, leaving an unbelievable six-and-a-half feet of water standing in the basement of the building, which is about the size of a junior high school. I just got back from helping, but there were plenty of folks still working - draining water, salvaging what could be salvaged, and throwing away a lot of ruined materials. There's no worse feeling than walking away from a clean-up effort left undone, but it will literally be weeks before the mess is no longer (if anybody's got a picture from tonight, send it to me and I'll post it here to illustrate what I mean).

This is yet another set-back for the ministry (the building has already suffered break-ins and vandalism), and though people's spirits were upbeat tonight, the damage will surely inflict melancholy on more than we who are naturally gifted with it. As you pray for those in Houston, pray for those in St. Louis (and elsewhere) who, somehow, were affected by the same massive hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.

From my Bible reading tonight:

"The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters...The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever." Psalm 29:3,10 (ESV)

“...to serve musicians, to serve artists, to renew the city...”

Our associate pastor, Greg Johnson, just forwarded a review of the art show going on at The Chapel, the "sanctuary for the arts" run by our church. We're thrilled about the good press, especially coming from The Vital Voice. Here's an excerpt:

"I must confess that when I got there my mood was as wrinkled as my slept-in shirt and scruffy as my unshaved, nubby face. I don’t know if it was the weather, the wine, or the wonderful art but everything weary, worn and cynical in my soul discernably dissolved and took a hike somewhere, maybe crossing Skinker into Forest Park to hit the links with the frou-frou."

You can read the whole review here.

Saying Thanks

As part of my Sabbath today, I wrote thank you notes all afternoon - to family who helped us buy and furnish our house; to friends who watched our kids and helped us move; to new neighbors who have been, well, pretty darn neighborly. In doing so, I realized I hadn't really offered any thanks to you, dear readers, for your help in (or tolerance of) our online efforts this past month, so I'd like to do that now.

In response to the CD offer, we ended up with a total of $1,883.21 from 40 different people toward our closing costs. Granted, this amount was short of our initial $3,000 goal, but due to complications the week before we moved, our costs actually went down, so it wasn't a big deal - we had what we needed. We were also able to write a campership check to Eagle Lake for $200, so that was good. To those who bought CDs and/or gave money to our effort, thank you.

Many of you left encouraging comments, sent supportive emails and letters, made enthusiastic phone calls, and generally served as cheerleaders in person throughout the process. Megan and I were both humbled by hearing from total strangers that they were praying for us. To those who shared your own hopes for ours, thank you.

Finally, most readers were patient and stuck with me despite my hijacking my own blog with the occasional inane whining about the home-buying process. To those who endured any especially selfish, narcissistic ranting (even more than my usual daily offering), thank you.

Chesterton said,

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought,
and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."

While I'm not sure about the elevation of a blogged thank you note, the double-wonder of the happiness of my gratitude is real. To any and all who motivated that in me, thank you.

PS: Be sure to check out Megan's thoughts on the first two weeks - good ones, methinks.

Top Ten Ways to Frighten the New Neighbors

10. Introduce yourself...with psychoses.

9. Spread out all your crap stuff across the backyard and explain that, just for fun, you're re-creating the plane crash set from LOST.

8. Recruit high school students to help you move so everyone thinks you have 17 teenagers.

7. Ask if you can borrow a roll of toilet paper, and then ask if they want it back when you're done.

6. Make friends with your neighbor's dog(s), reminiscing about the dog you used to have until...well...something terrible happened.

5. Smile and wave. A lot.

4. Don't smile and wave. At all.

3. Remark that you're not sure exactly where your property line is, but really, what's a few feet between neighbors?

2. Inquire as to the official neighborhood protocol for party parking.

1. Mention you keep a blog.

We're in. More later.

Taking a Break from Boxes Linkage

It's been a long while since I've posted some linkage, so in light of it being Friday, here you go:

• We're still in need of about $1,000 for our home closing (in four days), so if you've yet to take advantage of our $10 Gets You 15 Songs deal, now is the time.


• In case you're wondering, Megan thinks she's losing it (but she's really doing okay).


• My friend, Jeff Morrison, sent me a link to the Breathe 2008 conference he's leading at Glen Eyrie next month. Between Jeff's heart and abilities in worship and the beauty of the place, this will be a good conference for all involved.


• Looking for a new bike? Consider (or don't) the vicious cycle. (hat tip: Coudal)


• Two weeks from today: The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Bring it.


• Interesting piece in Slate about the challenges public schools have to overcome to hire and keep good teachers.


• The folks at Mental Floss have some pretty clever T-shirts for sale. My favorites: Apathy, English Major, Entropy, Beethoven, and Hyperbole.

We're off to take a black lab named Bruce to his new home on the farm. Have a good weekend.

Remember Not to Forget: Update

On Monday, I told you about my idea to offer 15 of my songs for $10 to raise the $3,000 Megan and I need to close on our house this month. Here's an update on how things are going:

• Good news: So far, we've received $286.24, which is almost 10%. Several folks have given (all cheerfully, as far as we know), with gifts ranging from $10 to $100, and it appears a handful have even chosen to download the songs. Thank you.


• More good news: Our closing date has been moved up from the 18th to the 15th of July. That's right: we move in 12 days, which is better for us all the way around...except for the fact that we have to write a check earlier than anticipated.

If we divide the remaining $2731.76 across the next 12 days, we need $228/day to come in by the 15th. If you still want to help, let's just say sooner is better than later.

Three easy ways to buy:

1. For those who would like to pay online, go to Revolution MoneyExchange, log in, click “Send Money,” and enter my email address (cmdunham [@] gmail.com). (Note: If you don’t have an RME account, it’s a nice thing to have; just click below to sign up - it’s free - and we’ll also get a $10 referral fee.)
   


2. For those who would prefer to pay by PayPal (sorry: non-credit, non-debit payments only), log in, click “Send Money,” and enter Megan’s email address (halfpinthouse [at] gmail.com).


3. For those who would rather just send something, please make a check out to Craig Dunham and mail to 8827 Litzsinger Road, Brentwood, MO, 63144.

One more thing that would be helpful is, if you have a blog, would you consider an endorsement and link? We haven't had much of either of these, and word-of-mouth and scale would seem to be important in making this idea work. A big thanks to Tim and Kerry (and anyone else who linked to us that we don't know about) for their linking efforts already.        

I'll post another update on our progress sometime next week. In the meantime, thanks for considering our opportunity, and have a festive and freeedom-filled Fourth of July weekend.

$10 Gets You 15 Songs (and Us This House)

Six weeks ago, I posted an entry hinting that we were trying to buy a house here in St. Louis. The good news is, we're no longer trying; we've bought a house, and it's pictured above.

Neat story: after our offers for the initial house got shot down (twice) by the bank, we decided to let things sit. I went to South Dakota and pretended to be a wilderness guy for two weeks; Megan and the girls (along with our realtor, Diane), looked around at a handful of houses, but really didn't find too much in our price range. No big deal.

Then the house shown above went on the market and, get this: it's a block-and-a-half down the street from the one we were originally pursuing, $60K cheaper, and in immaculate condition compared to the fixer-upper for which we were going to have to pay more. The owners (sweet Christian people) have lived in the house 33 years, are moving into a retirement village next month for health reasons, and needed to sell the house asap (thus the fair asking price). Because we felt the house was easily worth what they were asking (kind of refreshing in the still-inflated real estate market), we gave them the full price. We move in three weeks.

Now comes the hard part: paying for it. My parents are loaning us the 5% down payment, but Megan and I need to come up with an additional $3,000 to bring to the closing to cover lender fees, title fees, and a few months' worth of taxes and insurance. As of now, we don't have it, but we've come up with an idea we think could work (with a little help from the Internet).

Since 2008 marks the 15th anniversary of my foray into music recording, I thought I'd put together a "greatest hits" collection (yes, smirking allowed - you know who you are). The compilation is called Remember Not to Forget: Songs (1993-2000) and the deal is this: $10 gets you 15 songs from all five albums I recorded, along with a custom-designed CD liner with music lyrics and credits, all available for immediate download.

Of course, you're welcome to send more than ten bucks if you feel so compelled, but you don't need to in order to get the songs (actually, you don't need to send anything to get the songs, but we hope you will). Obviously, it's going to take a lot of $10 purchases (300, to be exact) to add up to $3,000, so if you'd just buy the songs and put in a plug for us through your network(s), we'll see what happens. Who knows? It is the Internet, right?

We're set to close on the house July 18th, so the sooner the better (again, click here for all the details). Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to give us, and thanks to those of you who prayed for our house-hunting efforts. After living in eight different places in a dozen years, we're hoping this is the last move for a very, very long time.

Happy Campers

As a close to my ramblings about Summer Seminar, here's our group just after kayaking and one day away from heading home (yes, those are genuine smiles on all our faces).

The students' pictures are starting to come in (thanks, Monica and Michael), so I've gone through my two summary posts and added shots to illustrate the narrative. For what it's worth...

Who Owns the West?

Thought this map (hat tip: Acton Institute) was interesting. I'm surprised both by how little land the government owns in South Dakota (just the best parts), as well as how much land the government owns in the West in general.

Also interesting is the small amount of government land in the Midwest and East compared to the West. What explains the difference? One word: gold.

Summer Seminar: A Summary (part 2)

After another 50 miles of biking on the Mickelson Trail (broken up over two days), the novelty of the South Dakota experience began to wear thin. At times, it was downright burdensome, as I was dealing with 28 high school seniors who I so desperately wanted to see "get it" with regard to the academic aspect of the trip, but wasn't sure all of them were. For instance:

"Yesterday on the trip back from Mystic, I listened to seven senior boys wax eloquent on the virtues and 'awesome-ness' of Pokemon, beginning with the cards they used to play with in third grade and culminating in a discussion of their best strategies for the video game now. This went on for at least half an hour before they changed topics to music and the best technology for downloading songs for free.

When I asked if they knew that what they were doing was illegal, they wrote me off, saying it was a 'gray area,' and went on to talking about something else, with little desire for explanation or questions for discussion. They had already made up their minds as to what they needed the law to be, so that's what the extent of the conversation was as well. This, on top of many of the girls not being able to complete a sentence without, like, using the word 'like' three times (minimum), and I recognize how overly judgmental I can be, which in itself is frustrating. I need to control my attitude better."

Having left our campsite at Custer, we hiked up and down Harney Peak (the highest peak in South Dakota) before making our way through Deadwood (hello, tourist trap), and finally into Spearfish, which I really liked. While the kids did laundry, a few of us staff visited a local coffeeshop, checked out the bookstore at Black Hills State University, and then we all took an afternoon trip across the Wyoming state line to see Devil's Tower (cool, but you only need to see it once). That evening, we made a really tough (1,000-ft. in three-fourths of a mile) hike up Spearfish Canyon, but the sunset at the end was a nice reward.

Leaving from Spearfish the next morning, we hiked Bear Butte, one of the most sacred Indian religious sites for the Plains Indians and a historic meeting point for many of the most famous chiefs like Red Cloud and Sitting Bull. As we had done at most of our major stopping points, we had our final "core" here, the third of our ethics track. In general, the students seemed to enjoy these formal presentation times (nine altogether) from their teachers, after which I would usually give a writing assignment to serve as a mechanism for response. I just would have liked more informal discussion from them along the trails and in the van that showed real interest, but the groupthink/herd mentality proved too strong.

After the hike, we drove to Pierre (pronounced "Pier") for pizza and an overnight in a hotel, before meeting back up the next morning with Caleb Gilkerson, our guide and trip outfitter in the Badlands, for two days of kayaking and a night (our last) camping out on the river. We were scheduled to do the Cheyenne, but because of all the rain, the river was too high and had covered all the campsites; thus, we opted for the White (which was anything but), and kayaked approximately 20 miles over two days to where the White met up with the Missouri.

Though the mosquitoes were bad, the food (steak and walleye) was great, and I had the best night of sleep on the trail in my tent up on the 15-foot-high sand bar (two Sominex probably had something to do with that). I enjoyed the serenity of the kayaking, but because the Missouri was so high downstream, there wasn't much of a current; it was like paddling on a lake, which was fine - we weren't in a hurry - but by the end of two half days, I had fulfilled my kayaking quota.

After pulling out of the river, we drove to Firesteel Creek Lodge to enjoy a last night in some nice accommodations before driving eleven hours home the next day. We had our last meeting as a group that evening, in which I gave the students the details of "turning in" their writing assignments (due this Saturday). I also asked them to include a self-evaluation of how they made the most of the trip (and perhaps how they didn't). I'll be interested to read their observations in hopes that sitting down to think and write about it on their own might teach them some of what we may not have on the trip.

Personally, the two weeks were impacting in several ways: I came away with a new appreciation and sympathy for Native Americans as a people (both past and present), as well as a new desire to camp and make better use of our National Park system (though don't look for us at a campsite near you anytime soon - more on that next week). I also want to read more American history and get past the broad brush strokes of my current understanding into more of our history's nuances, as well as give new consideration to environmental organizations that I perhaps had not paid as much attention to before.

And, I want to keep exposing kids - my students at Westminster, as well as my own - to these important ideas and experiences, persevering and praying them through the inevitable periods of apathy that often accompany affluence, somehow planting seeds of mercy, justice, and humility along the way that one day might grow into fruit of the same kind. In many ways, the Summer Seminar was reaffirming to my calling to teach and to write, and for that (among many other things) I'm grateful for my time in South Dakota.

Summer Seminar: A Summary (part 1)

It's high time I got back on the saddle here with a summary of sorts of my recent journey to South Dakota. It was a good trip, but I'm glad to be home in St. Louis, as I missed Megan and the girls something terrible. Though I didn't take a camera, I'll have plenty of pics to post when the students send me theirs (along with their writing assignments) at the end of the week. In the meantime, here are some excerpts from my journal, along with a few elaborated highlights - hope they suffice for now.

We started off in the Badlands National Park, which felt like a giant playground to all of us. Camping out for two nights, we spent the days hiking around and running up and down the area's protruding round rock hills, which the kids loved. We saw a lot of wildlife up close - prairie dogs, deer, buffalo, and even two rattlesnakes - so that was new and different.

We also drove through Pine Ridge Indian reservation on our way to Wounded Knee:

"My first trip to a reservation was an ironic combination of beauty and poverty. From my understanding, though the land is 'reserved' for the Indians, they can do nothing on it without government permission. So much wrong with all that - not even sure where to begin.

Saw Wounded Knee yesterday - very different from what I thought it would be, as it has not been turned into a sanitized memorial, but instead is a rugged, simple place of remembrance that cries out to be felt and not just acknowledged. Read the last chapter of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee while there. Hard to imagine the ugliness of it all in such a pretty valley of waving grass."

The next day on our way to our campsite at Custer State Park, we made a weather-shortened trip to Mount Rushmore. The experience was anti-climactic for me, so much so that I didn't even write about it. There's something incredibly disturbing about the faces of four presidents carved into the side of a mountain overlooking stolen land, and yet despite my discomfort, I bought a Mount Rushmore puzzle and snowglobe to bring home to the girls. Feeling the tension between injustice and patriotism was one of the defining themes of the trip.

Biking was another part of the trip in which I felt tension:

"Biked 54 miles yesterday on the Mickelson Trail from Custer to Edgemont - the longest distance I've ever ridden. One of the staff gave me the Indian name 'Head Between Knees' after I had to stop four times in the first six miles because I was dizzy from the altitude and the inclines between our campsite and Custer. Once I got past this, I did fine, but it was hard - strong headwind the whole way, and a very sore behind. Still glad I did it, but not sure how I'll fair on the next two rides (shorter but sorer, I'm sure)."

The scenery on this first trip was beautiful - lots of serene valleys and see-for-miles vistas - and despite my exhaustion (note to self: one 6-mile training ride does not a biker make), I found myself thinking several times how glad I was someone had the Rails-to-Trails idea of converting old railroad lines into a network of public-use paths. The kids seemed to enjoy it as well, and that night was the first one that everybody went to bed earlier than the night before.

One of the major highlights for me on the trip was meeting author/rancher Dan O'Brien:

"Just got back from Dan O'Brien's Broken Heart Ranch - a highlight of the trip for reasons all too familiar. It's funny how city kids are so entranced by things so non-urban; for me, it's just a different kind of farming. O'Brien owns 2,000 acres and runs around 200 head of buffalo (instead of cattle) on his ranch halfway between the Black Hills and the Badlands. He's 45 minutes from anywhere and lives with his 'life partner,' Jill. Other occupants include a 73-year-old hired hand named Erney, and an intern from France."

O'Brien himself was a fascinating guy, one with whom I would have loved to have spent more time than our 4-hour visit allowed. We did get to talk a little about writing, and I had him sign my copy of his book, so that was cool. After a tour of the ranch (complete with feeding cake from the back of a pick-up to his herds), he and Jill fed us some pulled barbecue bison right out of their kitchen. While I was hoping for burgers, the meat was tasty and the kids really enjoyed sitting out on his deck, asking questions and listening to him speak about what he's trying to do.

"In many ways, O'Brien is living an ultimate existence - owning land, writing about it, succeeding - but I don't want to even think about all the work that has, does, and must go into it all. His focus is intense, and his understanding of the land impressive. I wonder if he gets lonely or bored...or frustrated or angry...or just tired or worn out by the scope of his vision of restoring the High Plains through the grazing of buffalo (rather than cattle) on 1 million acres of public land."

More to come.

Summer Seminar

Beginning Monday, I'm out of town for the next two weeks as one of seven staff taking 28 soon-to-be-seniors on Westminster's Summer Seminar to South Dakota. Though I hate being away from Megan and the girls that long, I'm looking forward to the trip. Here's the official write-up:

"The Summer Seminar in Liberal Arts is an interdisciplinary course designed to stimulate physical, intellectual, and spiritual growth. Over a 12-day trip through the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, students will explore the theme of “shalom” (restoration) through three, two-day course cores in literature, ethics, and science.

The focus of the course is the development of a biblical understanding of 'shalom' (restoration) as finite creatures living the reality of the Gospel in community with each other and the whole of creation. Students will interact with a variety of literary selections and participate in a three-day bike tour, selected day hikes, and a two-day float trip down the Cheyenne River.

The Summer Seminar is not designed to be an 'adventure' course. While the physical activities will be demanding, the seminar is an attempt to integrate reflection, aesthetic appreciation, and the life of the mind in the formation of a Christian understanding of the world. Ideally, each student would complete the seminar having integrated the Creator’s imprint in nature, community and the liberal arts into his or her understanding of restoration. Students may take the course for a one-semester elective credit."

Parts of the itinerary I'm most looking forward to are:

• being at Wounded Knee (I've been reading this book all week for some good background)


• seeing the Black Hills and Badlands (including Mt. Rushmore, though I'm not feeling all that patriotic after reading how our government treated the Indians in acquiring land)


• meeting and talking with Dan O'Brien, author of Buffalo for the Broken Heart, about his vision for bringing buffalo back to the West (we also share publishers)


• biking almost 100 miles in three days on the Mickelson Trail (I went on my first ride in years this past Friday and rocked it - that is, I didn't die)


• hiking around Devil's Tower in Wyoming (and humming John Williams' famous five-note greeting from Close Encounters of the Third Kind)


• kayaking on the Cheyenne River (though the water is really shallow and muddy)


• finishing up the trip with a nice night at Firesteel Creek Lodge (former Cardinals pitcher Todd Worrell is the owner and a Westminster dad)


• and, of course, camping out for ten days and spending 30-40 hours in a van with high schoolers (at least none of them get to drive)

Unless I find some free wi-fi (and some spare time), I doubt there'll be much action here on the blog over the next couple of weeks. In the interim, if you happen to land here and think of us, pray for safety and meaning on the trip, as well as that Megan and the girls will be okay while I'm gone (don't worry - they've got plans).

Happy trails.

Summer Plans

My friend, Ed, asked for a post on what summer holds. Here it is.

1. I'm one of seven Westminster teachers taking 28 high school students on Summer Seminar to South Dakota for two weeks in June. Over the course of a 12-day trip to and through the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, students will explore the theme of “shalom” (restoration) through three, two-day course cores in literature, ethics, and science. The culmination of the course will be a writing project that integrates a travel journal, a guided project (literary analysis of readings, poetry, photography, etc.), and their understanding of the Christian worldview (I'm in charge of this "integration" part). Should be fun.

2. Speaking of Westminster, I'm hoping to take a half-day a week to work on my teaching. I've kept a semi-detailed calendar of what I covered (either intentionally or unintentionally) each day this past school year, and I'd like to give that some evaluation and attention in order to figure out what I actually taught and how to do it better. Armed with some honest feedback from my students and revised scopes and sequences from the Bible department, I want to put some good work into how to teach as a more effective translator.

3. In addition to thinking about teaching, I'll be participating in a class offered by Covenant titled "Spirit, Church, and Last Things" online this summer. After my experience with Ancient & Medieval Church History this past semester (good class, but I wasn't as consistent as I wanted to be in keeping up), I'm not all that thrilled about online learning, but you do what you've got to get in the classes you need to finish a degree.

4. I've got piles of books from a variety of genres that I want to read. Personally, I'd also like to get back to more devotional reading and journal writing as, for better or worse, the blog has taken over the time I have in the past done both, and I can feel the difference in heart and hand. There's just no replacement for meditative reading and writing, but I've not done much of either for a long while. Oh yeah, I'm also supposed to be writing/finishing the first draft of a book this summer.

5. I'm working on some leader development training and initiatives for Memorial for this summer and fall, and hope to do some planning/recruiting for those. Unfortunately, this is an area that got bumped to the back burner this past school year because of my first year teaching, but I'm glad for the request and opportunity to still be involved in this way a year later. I think our family is also going to start attending a small group over the summer, which should be interesting (I'm not really much of a small group guy).

6. While I've not really gained any significant weight, I'd like to shed some pounds and actually get back on an exercise regimen of some sort. For whatever reason, I just enjoy exercising my brain much more than I do my body. Guess I'm just too Neo-Platonic for my own good.

7. We may get some tickets to a couple Cards games in July - just when it's hot enough to really be miserable. I imagine I'll do a fair amount of yard mowing, grilling, and sweating this summer, not to mention cursing the I-64 construction still going on (it will be interesting to see how increased tourist traffic during the summer months affects things; so far, we've managed, but it's getting old).

8. We'll also make a few weekend trips to the farm over the summer, as there's nothing better than sitting with a cold glass of iced tea out on the back patio listening to the corn grow. I'm sure there will be pictures.

9. While buying a house and moving is, I suppose, still a possibility over the next couple of months, the further we get into summer, the less excited I'm going to be about it. Obviously if the bank warms to our terms soon, we're not going to walk away from things, but we're not exactly going house-hunting either.

10. Of course, the best part about summer will be being home more with Megan and the girls - playing in the backyard, going to the library, reading books, renting and watching a flick, seeing friends, and just being a family. We've tried to keep formal activities for the little ladies to a minimum, so we're hoping it will be pretty laidback. I want/need to read to them more at night (Megan's been handling most of that all school year), as I don't want to miss the window here - they're all just growing up so too fast.

In a nutshell, that's our summer.

When Renting Has Its Advantages

Even if you don't live in St. Louis, you still might have heard about all the rain the Midwest has received of late. Though we don't live near any overflowing riverbanks, here's a shot of our own little tragedy as a result of the rain: as of early this morning, Cair Paravel is no more.

The tree (a Chinese Elm) had grown at a 60-degree angle for many years. From what we can tell, all the water eroded the root system enough that the tree's weight (it was big) just toppled it over. In fact, as we were piecing all this together, our 7-year-old showed us a picture she took of this crack in the ground at the base of the tree just yesterday that might have clued us in that it was going to go (so much for being parents aware of their children's play environment).

Thankfully, the tree went down around 4:30 a.m. with no little people in or around the playhouse at the time. Something like that would have been a true tragedy, which we're very grateful to God didn't happen.

Despite clouds of sadness here at the Half Pint House, there do seem to be a few silver linings: from what our landlord and I could tell from our inspection this morning, the playhouse broke the fall and is (still) holding up the bulk of the weight of the tree, salvaging the garage and bringing some redemption to the ruins of its destruction (not to mention points for us with our landlord in building something in our backyard that saved his garage).

Will there be full restoration? Doubtful. But, at least the playhouse served a greater purpose than merely frustrating me for three solid days while building it last May. We may look into some kind of replacement in the future, but right now we're at the mercy of the Triangle of Reality (time, money, quality - you pick two) and will be for a while.

I'm glad I don't have to haggle with the insurance company or figure out how to get rid of the silly tree. Renting does have its advantages.

Things That Made Me Smile Today

Rumor has it that I'm hard to please, but it really doesn't take all that much to make me smile. To prove my point, here's what did it today (and I'm not making these up):

• My new office in the Pit of Despair (our unfinished basement) after a weekend of swapping workspaces with Megan's crafts


• Homemade whole wheat (read: colon blow) cinnamon rolls for breakfast (with pigs in blankets for lunch)


• The song "One Dozen Monkeys" on the new kids album (recommended) from the ever-quirky 80's band They Might Be Giants


• Chaz and Danny (a.k.a. Frick and Frack) calling me Mr. Starship Unicorn all 7th period (don't ask me why - I don't think they even know)


• The introductory quote in Tim Keller's new book, The Reason for God: "I find your lack of faith - disturbing. (Darth Vader)"


• My two older daughters writing letters in cursive


• My two younger daughters acting out the "Maw-wiage" scene in The Princess Bride (they also do a pretty good "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya...")

When you don't get out much, it's the little things that go a long way.

The Democrats, Vegas, and My Parents

My folks, Rog and Char, along with my uncle Bob and aunt Janice, are making their first trip ever to Las Vegas this weekend. Apparently, in addition to Mom and Dad heading for America's favorite desert oasis, the Democrats are as well (not their first trip, mind you).

It would be hilarious if my father ran into his state senator (Obama) somewhere on the strip, started talking agriculture, and ended up making it onto the national news. I could totally see my Mom hitting it off with Hillary at a Vegas show and, in the midst of some "warm chatter" (as is the Mary Kay Way), selling her some makeup for the road.

If my parents don't run into the Democrats this weekend, maybe they'll rub shoulders with O.J.'s lawyers getting ready for the weekend after next. Who knows?

Only Vegas...

TwentySomeone at Cedar Crest

We hung out with 20 twenty-somethings this weekend near Santa Fe, MO - beautiful weather and play buddies for the kids topped off a fun weekend of teaching on this decade of transition.

I forget how much I love doing this.

TwentySomeone This Weekend?

Sure, it's only three days' notice, but if you're a twenty-something (or know of one) looking for a meaningful reason to spend Friday and Saturday at a small campground in central Missouri this weekend, here's your random chance (and it's cheap).

• What: TwentySomeone retreat


• When: November 9th and 10th, Friday (6 p.m.) - Saturday night (8 p.m.)


• Where: Cedar Crest Campgrounds, Santa Fe, MO (no website, so don't even look for one; call my friend John Gillman at 573.239.1662 for directions).


• What to bring: bedding; comfortable clothing; toiletries (shower available); games; sporting equipment; musical instruments; non-electronic entertainment; Bible; pen. There are separate male and female dorms (sorry, married folks: you’ll have to split up for a night).


• Cost: $30 includes all meals, lodging, and a copy of TwentySomeone (cash or checks payable to Harrisburg Christian Church).

Schedule
Friday
(eat dinner on your own before you arrive; Centralia is your closest fast food)

• 6:00: Camp opens; check in; get book; get set in your cabin


• 7:00: Opening / orientation to the camp


• 7:30: Opening session: The Question of Our Twenties*


• 9-12: Free time; campfire; games; smores; snacks

Saturday

• 8:00: Breakfast provided


• 9:00: General session: God Has a Wonderful (and Strange and Confusing) Plan for Your Life*


• 11:00: Time for reflection


• 12:00: Lunch provided


• 12:45 Breakout sessions
  Option A: Faith - Answering the Big Questions (Who made God?, etc.)
  Option B: Relationships - What is your Love Language?


• 2:00: Breakout sessions
  Option A: Faith - What is forgiveness all about?
  Option B: Relationships - Finding and being the right mate


• 3-5: Free time


• 5:00: Dinner provided


• 5:45: Closing session: Legacy - Rethinking Accomplishment and Success*


• 7:00: Hang out; pack up; clean up; leave

*These are the sessions I'm doing; the workshops are being led by other pastors.

It's going to be a nice gathering of about 20-30 folks from several different churches in the middle of Missouri, so it will be super-laidback, and you won't get lost in the crowd. And come on: it's only $30 for the whole thing (including a book). To register, call 573.875.5577.

Megan and the girls are going, but if anyone from the St. Louis area would like to go and needs a ride, we've got one open spot between car seats. First come, first served.

The Navigators in St. Louis

It's going to be a strange mixing of worlds this weekend as The Navigators' national staff conference is in town. Over 1,200 folks from all over the Nav world are descending on St. Louis and the Millennium Hotel, and though we don't know everybody, we know a fair amount and hope to see many of them who are in town.

For those who don't know, I spent 12 years onstaff with The Navigators in Colorado Springs. Just before we left staff and moved to St. Louis in 2005, the Navs announced that they were holding their every-four-years staff conference here. At the time, 2007 seemed so far off that, apart from putting it on my calendar, I didn't think too much about it. But it's here now, and we're glad.

The staff conference holds particular significance for me as I (then 24) was part of the ten-member team back in 1995 asked to resurrect it after a 25-year hiatus. In addition to my normal staff responsibilities at Eagle Lake then, I worked for two years with the team to put things together, finally executing the plans we'd made during the last week of June at Estes Park that year (which was also one month into a full summer camp season). It was a great conference that came off without a hitch (or at least without any noticeable ones). I'm still not sure how it all got pulled off, but somehow it did.

All that to say, I probably won't crash too many sessions or workshops, but I do plan to mill around, shake a few hands, and temporarily kidnap a couple close friends and bring them home for dinner with the fam. There's part of me that's a little insecure about being at a Nav conference without being an official Navigator anymore, but I have little doubt I'll be remembered and warmly welcomed. The Navs are good folk who took good care of us when we were with them, and we were helped very much by their ministry.

If I Were a Snowbird (yada yada yada)

Yes, that's me in the picture, taking on a wave. Megan and I are in southern Florida at a hotel in Deerfield Beach near Boca Raton for our How Kids Think research project. Apart from a couple of rainstorms at night, it's been beautiful, with weather (and water) at 85-degrees - nice.

Though it would have been fun to have brought the little ladies, it's been good to hang out, just the two of us. We've had some in-depth meetings with folks about God's World News, eaten at some tasty places, played in the ocean (probably only an hour total - you can only get pummeled by so many waves before it gets redundant), and gotten a lot of work done in the hotel.

We also took an uninterrupted nap for two hours on Saturday, which hasn't happened since the Clinton administration.

Southern Florida seems different from southern California; there is much more of a concentrated New York influence because of all the snowbirds. True to Seinfeldian stereotype, many snowbirds are of Jewish descent, which reminded me of when my friend, Lori (who is Jewish), once asked me if I knew what her favorite Jewish wine was? Shrugging my shoulders that I didn't, she squinted her eyes and answered in a whiny voice: "I wanna go to Miami!"

I've not rubbed shoulders with as many cultural Jews as I have on this trip; theirs is a fascinating world to me because of all the teaching I do in Bible class that involves their lineage and people. I've talked with my Jewish friends and read enough Chaim Potok (whom I love) to understand what the issues are as to why cultural Jews believe as they do (or don't); honestly, I'm envious of their cultural heritage (compared to my ingrafted Gentile "goy-ness"), and marvel that so many do not embrace the Savior sent by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So, as we walked into yet another restaurant full of Jewish snowbirds last night, I prayed God would have mercy on his initially-chosen people, and that he would somehow open each of their eyes to Himself in the midst of all the glitz and glam of their southern Florida playground.

"I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!" - Romans 11:1a

Let it be so, God.

At The Pageant Tonight

Megan and the girls are heading out of town to visit my sister and her family in Tremont, IL, and I've got four free tickets to the The Pageant tonight for the Ticketmaster New Music Spotlight show with local/regional bands The Feed, Red Water Revival, John Henry & the Engine, and Caleb Travers & Big City Lights.

Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 8, but I probably won't get there until at least 9 (if not later) as I'm taking a class this weekend at Covenant. As far as I know, my friend Caleb (who I'm really going to see) doesn't go on until last anyway, so I'm hoping to show up just as he and his band take the stage.

Anybody want to go? You don't have to wait to go late with me (if, that is, we can figure out how to arrange a ticket drop sometime today). First come, first served (and yes, if someone wants all three tickets, that's fine - as long as you go). Leave a comment to get in line.

Just trying to share the love...

Live from Alabama

"I'm having breakfast in Birmingham She's in Tennessee"

- "Breakfast in Birmingham" by David Lee Murphy

In Alabama this weekend to be in the wedding of our friends, Tom and Christine. I caught the last flight out of St. Louis and, despite the standard hour delay, still made it in time for the last half of the rehearsal dinner, but little more as I was whupped. Being a groomsmen at 36 is a whole lot different than being one at 26 (not that I was that much of a wild man then).

Today we do the picture thing at 11:30, the wedding's at two-thirty, and the reception/dinner is to follow. Megan and the girls are coming in from Nashville, where they sort of drove to yesterday to stay the night with some friends. After the festivities, we'll get back in the van and begin the drive back north, with an overnight stop in Huntsville to see more friends. It's a regular Dunham family good will tour.

I wish I had more time to explore Birmingham - seems like a pretty cool city with a lot of interesting history. I'd particularly like to go to the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum, Vulcan Park, and the Birmingham Museum of Art, but I don't think time allows. I've spent so very little time in the south (and really, any place east of the Mississippi - my many travels have always been west or north), that if I don't make it out of my tuxedo today, we may need to come back for a family visit in the future.