Second Drafts

Playing Caffeine Cop

Hey all you Starbucks addicts fans out there, did it work? Comment and file your report.

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.

Revelation on a Saturday

I finally trimmed my fingernails today.

I hate having long fingernails.

I could never be a woman.

Oh, the Inanimacy

I spent my birthday teaching as a Christmas tree per Westminster's Spirit Week festivities going on all this week (today was "inanimate object" day).

And that's all I have to say about that.

Possible Snow Day Linkage

I've got a wife, four children, and at least 100 students praying for a snow day tomorrow. Even though I'm giving a test, I suppose I'd stay home if the forecast panned out (supposedly 5-8 inches by Friday morning). Possible snow day linkage for you:

• The National Organization of Women (New York) was NOT happy with Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Barack Obama


• Preview of this weekend's Super Bowl commercials from The New York Times


• The BBC reports: Force Strong for New Jedi Church


• I don't know if it's really helping right now, but I like this new site on writing


• Don't ask me why, but I want to see this film (hat tip: Presentation Zen)


• If I were to go to a conference on the urban church, Dwell would be it; this Conversation on Denominational Renewal looks good as well (and it's local)


• Good stuff: Christian Schools vs. Conveyor Belts from Marvin Olasky at World on the Web

Michigan, Smichigan

Yes, I know the Republicans just had their third winner in three primaries and I should probably have thoughts, but I'm a little politicked out. These links seem more interesting:

• Here's 100 Things We Didn't Know Last Year according to the BBC


• I had no clue as to the campaign to Free Vermont as reported in Good Magazine


• No pun intended, but these Rules of Thumb are handy (hat tip: Dooce)


• This piece on The Epistle of Van Gogh from Makoto Fujimura is worth reading


• "Nothing says innovation like an MP3 player/taser combo" (hat tip: Unclutterer)


• For all Carrie Underwood fans: Cletus Take the Reel (hat tip: Palm Tree Pundit)

Realization

If I lived at Whole Foods, I would weigh 600 pounds...by summer.

Man, that place is amazing.

New Year's Links

Not sure how you approach a new year, but here are some helpful/humorous links I found:

• David Allen of Getting Things Done on, well, getting things done.


• Life Dev recommends Twelve Programs to Put on Your Brand New Christmas Mac; in light of Allen, try the free iGTD application (it's our way to organize life).


• Need to declare a war on clutter? Here's help.


• Trouble getting up in the morning? Get yourself a SnuzeNLuz alarm clock (I'd set mine to make payments to this group).


• Some thoughts on New Year's Eve from a rural perspective that I understand.

Hope you have a happy New Year, both tonight and for the next 365 days. See you in 2008.

Links to Grade By

I'm up to my eyeballs in papers and tests, so in case there are any other teachers out there facing a similar doom, here are some links to grade by:

• There are people who are smart...and then there's Susan Wise Bauer


• I think Obama's onto something; David Brooks thinks so for different reasons


• As this mom encourages parents to do at Babble, we told our kids about Santa from the beginning (and they don't hate us)


• M.I.T. whiz talks about How to Think over at Technology Review


• In case anyone needs a little help having that hard conversation, check out these helpful materials at the Bureau of Communication (hat tip: Coudal)


• For those not aware, Frontline brings us the Secret History of the Credit Card


• This is the coolest idea that I'm sure will make somebody mad: The Bible According to Google Earth (hat tip: Good Magazine)

And miles to grade before I sleep...

Links for a Frigid Friday

I was hoping that, due to freezing rain and sleet last night, we'd have a snow day today. Alas, as of 5:50 a.m., it doesn't appear to be. So, here are some links for a frigid Friday:

• There’s quite a discussion (36 comments and counting) going on over at World on the Web pertaining to my byFaith piece; kind of fun to read


• Read this brilliant op-ed on the silence of Muslim moderates in light of the brutal punishments handed out as of late; courageous writing


• Margie Haack, over at Ransom Fellowship, has a good (but short) Christmas gift suggestion list; it's mostly books (surprise)


• In case you were wondering, here's a field guide to Evel Knievel's injuries - 433 broken bones by 1975, a world record (hat tip: Coudal)


• Major marketing mistake: Hanukkah Hams


• 300 episodes? Who is still watching ER?

Things I Have Absolutely No Desire to Do

Not sure why, but this category (and the entries below) popped into my mind today: 

• Shoot and post videos to YouTube
• Work retail this (or any) time of the year
• Read music magazines
• Get overly-excited about Mizzou being number one
• Buy a house
• Grade papers
• Argue theology for the sake of arguing theology
• Endorse a presidential candidate
• Shave (again)
• Think about I-64/40 shutting down in a month or so for a whole year
• Write a paper codifying my thoughts on the emerging church (due Friday)
• Get a cell phone
• Become a church elder

I'm sure the list could continue indefinitely, but I'll stop for now. Any you'd add? 

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...

It's Been Too Long...

...too long, in fact, I had to look it up:

rain |rān| noun moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops : the rain had not stopped for days | it's pouring rain. • ( rains) falls of rain : the plants were washed away by some unusually heavy rains. • [in sing. ] a large or overwhelming quantity of things that fall or descend : he fell under the rain of blows.

Links: Come and Get 'Em

A couple of (mostly) current events links for you:

• Dumbledore Gay? - I couldn't say it any better than Alastair does


• Happy Divorce? - a new industry is (unfortunately) blooming


• Olympic Flame Goes Carbon Neutral - now if they could change that logo


• Reality Shows on Tap if Writers Strike - not sure who I'm rooting for on this

Overheard

One student defending to another why she had "such a stupid song" on her music player:

"It's an iPod, not a wePod!"

Ah, the community of technology.

American Pantheon of Gods

This week in Biblical Ethics, we've been studying the First Commandment - considering God's Person and right in calling us to faithfulness as part of his covenant with us, as well as studying a few of the many gods (Asherah, Baal(s), Chemosh, Dagon, Marduk, Molech) that Old Testament cultures (including Israel) created instead.

After the Old Testament study, I then had my students get in groups and spend some time naming our gods today, coming up with a little history (as they understood it) of where the god came from, and listing a few requirements for each god's followers. I asked them to have fun with it (which they did), but they also made some insightful observations in the process. Here are just a few of my favorites:

• Mart-Wal: this god was the first toy ever made; childish and mature, it believes toys are supreme, and requires the sacrifice of old toys and the purchase of new toys (every Tuesday); the more new toys you have, the greater your prosperity in heaven


• Aquina: this is the goddess of vacation, worshiped by college students on spring break; she demands that all responsibilities be forgotten and followers behave in immoral ways; often depicted in a pink polka-dot bikini being anointed with tanning oil


• Athletis: this god originated when the Spartans had an idea to play Ping-Pong with their enemies' eyes; essentially, everyone must play a sport or die, and that sport must have first priority over everything; motivating motto: "if you're not ripped, you suck"


• iGod: this god started as a sundial and has progressed to artificial intelligence; worship includes a minimum of four hours in front of a screen and earbuds in all day long; followers are not allowed to have personal relationships with other people


• Egoiste: this goddess of selfishness and greed was created in the Garden; she calls believers to desire what belongs to others, strive to gain an increasing number of possessions, and keep those possessions separate from others


• The Almighty A: created at Plato's Academy in Greece, this god lives in the hallways of modern schools; minimum sacrifice to be offered is a 4.0 G.P.A., but complete atonement is not acknowledged until one makes a $150K salary and owns a Lexus


• Timis Hasselus: this god of avoiding hassles has been around since the beginning of time; its laws require not getting too involved in anything and avoiding conflict at all costs; sacrament includes a repetitive checking of the watch


• Gluttoness: this goddess thrives in the lives of depressed girls who eat when they're feeling down; followers must visit the Temple of the Golden Arches daily to take part in the sacraments, all of which must be deep-fried and super-sized


• Sulfate: this god of pollution originated during the Industrial Revolution; believers must drive S.U.V.s and burn Styrofoam in their front yard to atone for their sins of recycling and thinking they are responsible for stewarding the planet


• Cappucina: this goddess calls all followers to her table to bow down before her sacred beans; worshipers must have at least eight cups of overpriced coffee per day; caffeine headaches are to be embraced as due penance for disobedience

As follow-up to the assignment, one of my students sent me this link to a news report out of Springfield, MO, about the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Sure, it's all tongue-in-cheek satire, but why are some Christians "involved" as the church's spokesman says they are? I don't get it.

Trust Me, They Don't Have a Pill Big Enough for Ours

(Taken by Megan while driving through Louisiana, MO, after this year's Apple Festival)

Random Goodness

Some links for you on a Friday:

• We're still taking feedback and suggestions at the How Kids Think blog. We've had more visitors than commenters, but those who have contributed have had much to say, so at least check it out.


• Friend (and the girls' art teacher), John Early, is presenting some of his paintings as part of Transference, "an art show with 13 visual artists and 1 brave singer/songwriter who will rock and roll (collectively known as Le Pouce et L’Orteil)."


• Friend Caleb Travers and his band, Big City Lights, was named St. Louis' best country band (alternative) in the Riverfront Times. Caleb and company are playing The Pageant on October 12th.


• Trying to make sense of the presidential race? Looking for a candidate? See who lines up best with your political perspective in this quick 11-question survey (hat tip: World Magazine blog).


• Carbon Offsets the New Evangelical Indulgence according to the Acton Institute. Pretty astute observation, I think.


• Here's the report from The Islamic Republic News Agency about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University earlier this week. Somebody write it down: I'm thankful for America's independent media outlets.


• Read about Napstyles of the Rich and Famous over at 43 Folders. For the record, I'm with Winston.


• Finally, my friend, Tim, sent me a link to the Darth Vader Blues. For the Star Wars purist in the crowd, this borders on sacrilege, but it's hilarious.

Have a good weekend, everybody.

Happy (Late) National Punctuation Day

For those who missed it (or need it), happy late National Punctuation Day yesterday.

Names That Are Verbs

Names that are verbs (in no particular order):

Sue, Max, Mark, Bill, Tripp, Doug, Jett, Pat, Jack, Peter, Bob, Neal, Flo, Wright, Skip, Josh, Hugh, Chance, Grace, Chuck, Page, Rob, Wolf, Rowan, Mike, Hope, Judge, Nick, Don, Drew, Dick, Cary, Duke, Pierce, Will, Flip, Skip, Tank, Chase, Peg, Wayne, Rip, Mary, Dustin, Jimmy, Sharon, Bea, Karen, Phil, Marshall, Trace, Rip, Picabo, Mary, Sally, Holden, Tucker, Piper, Biff, Chip, Buck, Leigh, Talley, Ty, Bette, Hyde, DJ, VJ

Any you would dispute/add?

Saturday Smatterings

Some links for an overcast, rainy Saturday:

• Disappointing stuff with Rick Ankiel and HGH. Thankfully, Bernie Miklasz (as always) calls it like it is.


• Reggie Kidd's post on bickering in the PCA is overwritten but powerful.


• Beware of microwave popcorn several times a day. Several times a day?


• Just in case anyone was wondering if you can make a living writing books, Susan Wise Bauer enlightens us.


• Apparently, more people are hoping for girls than boys these days. Maybe we should start a consulting service.


• Seriously, how do you "lose" a 70-pound tortoise?


• I'm not sure the affliction of saying stupid things in public is limited only to town meetings. This is hilarious.

Char's Top Ten Teaching Tricks

My mother, Charlotte, just retired in May after 30+ years teaching high school English. As this will be her first August without having to prep for school, I thought I'd better ask for her top ten teaching suggestions before she forgot them all. Here's what she emailed me:

1. Establish a seating chart at the beginning, but allow time for schedule changes. Some of my colleagues would allow students to sit where they wanted, and they all would end up at the back of the room. I always wanted them under my nose!


2. Greet students cheerfully. You may be the only one to do this in their day.


3. Have high expectations, but be realistic.


4. Dress professionally, even though others don't.


5. Be alert to students whose eyes are focused on their laps - they're probably texting!


6. You gotta have a gimmick - a daily trivia question written on the board works well here. I always used the question cards from the Trivial Pursuit game. The first person to answer as the students come into the room gets a piece of peppermint candy, which enhances higher level thinking skills.


7. Surprise the kids once in a while by diverting from the syllabus (Thoreau would love you for this).


8. Be consistent in routine and discipline.


9. Take care of discipline problems yourself, as much as you can.


10. Be real and enjoy your students.

School starts tomorrow. Anybody else got any counsel you'd like to share?

Mid-Afternoon Conference Funny

Real teacher names (and the classes they teach) posted on various classroom doors around here at The Catherine Cook School in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood:

• Ms. Majors - Humanities


• Ms. Handler - 1st Grade


• Mrs. Due - Library

Okay, so I'm bored and finally have real-time access to wi-fi. Danger, Will Robinson, danger...

Esteem Builder

Just in case anybody needs a little pick-me-up today, I would offer these alternatives for some helpful perspective on your particular situation (whatever it may be) in life:

• Drew Carey to be new Price is Right host


• Ben Affleck in "corny" environmental ad


• Time's annual list of least influential people

Now there, don't you feel better?

I'm Not Making This Up

This afternoon I laid down on the couch to do some reading and take a Sunday afternoon nap. As I dozed off, I remembered hearing Megan begin preparations in the kitchen to fix sloppy joes for our summer Bible study group this evening. Thankfully, the smell eventually woke me up from the very vivid dream I was having of being chased by the Abominable Manwich.

I know what you're thinking, and I agree: too many freaks, not enough circuses. Man, I'm weird.

Links That Make You Go "Hmmm"

Went to see Hello, Dolly! at The Muny with Megan and the girls last night. Didn't care much for the story as a whole (no characters to really root for), but the production was top-notch and the sound was amazing. We had a beautiful 75-degree evening for it as well, so that made it nice.

Thought I'd throw out some links this Friday:

• Here's a lesson I need to learn from Merlin Mann at 43 folders: the art of the five-sentence email.


• Salon has some good thoughts on email etiquette as well.


• Not sure as to the feasibility of a cigarette butt litter tax, but I do like Agkyra's ButtsOut free personal ashtrays suggestion.


• Tim Challies has some good thoughts on encouraging a blogger (I especially like his last one of making use of said blogger's Amazon Wishlist).


• I marvel along with Trevor at this equation: lawn chair + balloons = 193 miles (I've had the idea before, but never had the guts nor the tolerance of heights to do it).


• In case you were wondering, the folks at Slate help out with answering the question of how it feels to get gored by a bull (I'd always been curious).

Any other links of merit/interest/curiosity/randomness worth clicking of late?

Geek or Chic?

I just got new glasses. It was a good 10-year run with my last set of lenses and my prescription had barely changed; however, with the last Harry Potter book coming out July 21st, I figure it's time to give up the rounded specs for some rectangular ones. I am such a slave to fashion.

My Pearle Vision associate called my frame selection "geek chic," though I'm not sure I've thought of myself as either. What do you think? Geek, chic, or other?

Friday Linkage

Running around today on a slew of errands: returning an overdue library book; trying to understand financial aid; doing some grading for Covenant's Access program; getting an eye exam; etc. This afternoon, our two oldest have their final day at The Magic House camp they've been enjoying this week (complete with program finale, which we're attending).

Afterward, we'll drop all four off tonight for some babysitting by a team of short-term missionaries raising funds to go to Red Lake, MN, to work with Native Americans this summer, while Megan and I (finally, after six months) redeem a Christmas gift certificate for dinner at the Top of the Riverfront restaurant downtown.

That said, I'm not thinking too much today, so here are some links for the end of your week:

• I like what Anthony Bradley has to say here on the Supreme Court's recent vote on racial desegregation of schools. Not hearing much of this perspective on the news.


• Jon Barlow is taking reader comments and plot theories on the upcoming release of the final Harry Potter book next month.


• Hearing/reading great things about Disney/Pixar's new movie, Ratatouille, written and directed by Academy Award-winning animation genius, Brad Bird. Now all I have to do is figure out how to pronounce it (I think it's "Rat-a-too-ee").


• The Spice Girls are planning a comeback, though it remains to be heard whether they'll actually be doing the singing (God help us all either way).


• Finally, meet the little capitalists of Half Pint House Lemonade, Inc. Also, Megan's holding a drawing for some free new books (because of her online influence, she now has publishers sending her product to promote), as well as working a deal with Sonlight on homeschool resources. Check it out.

I'm going to be enlisting your help next week, dear readers, for a magazine piece I've been asked to write in July (details to come), so be sure to check back later with insight in tow.

Have a good weekend.

Rainy Thursday

Spent a glorious Thursday morning working on church details: accumulating intern hours; planning the next two cycles of Adullam leader retreats for this fall and next spring; and giving thought to a redesign of Memorial's website. I forget sometimes how much I love strategic and tactical planning. As the old Chinese proverb says, "He who aims at nothing hits it everytime."

It's been a week of such planning as I've started my teaching preparation for this fall's New Testament and Ethics classes at Westminster. It's so much more motivating for me to prepare to teach something than to just be tested on it, and the main difference between this week's study and the past month's of Christ & Salvation has been one of refreshment (not that I didn't enjoy or won't use what I learned in C&S for my New Testament class this fall, of course).

Other stuff I've been doing: having people over for dinner (last four nights); trying to exercise and watch what I eat (I've been slacking a bit); finishing up The Brothers K (good book - best when it sticks to baseball); and prepping for the summer study series Megan and I are hosting Sunday nights in July over the book of James (4:30-6:30 p.m.; eat at 5, so bring something).

What have you been up to lately?

PS: By the way, remember that moral quandry I faced last week while taking my Christ & Salvation final? Well, my grade got posted today and I came out with a B+ for the class, which means I must not have done quite as badly as I thought I had on the final. Whew.

I'm Not Convinced Either

This morning, I had an interview for a temp job at a law firm downtown. My friend, Emily, has worked there and recommended me to them, so they actually called me, which was nice.

When I came downstairs for breakfast wearing a suit and tie, my three-year-old looked at me strangely over her cereal and asked, "Daddy, why are you wearing that costume?"

Guess she's not convinced I'm the attorney gofer I was dressed up to be. On the backside of the interview, I'm not convinced either (at least not for more than two months of summer).

It's the Little Things

Happiness is finally getting your mower back from the shop and taking the morning off from studying to mow your yard - twice. There are no words for my joy when things just work.

Monday Musings

Just a couple quick thoughts this morning on a few news items of the day:

• America's Tallest Tower to Lift the Windy City - over 2,000-feet and 150 stories tall? Everytime I hear about something like the Chicago Spire or New York's 1,776-foot tall Freedom Tower, my mind can't help but think of Genesis 11.


• Wipe Out Global Warming - my children can attest to my passion for their reduced use of toilet paper, but it's more for the prevention of plunging than global warming. Who's going to monitor Sheryl Crow's proposed one square limit? And what if "I don't have a square to spare?" (name that quote)


• Even CEO Can't Figure Out How Radio Shack Still in Business - I have this same thought everytime I drive by our local Shack. They've come a long way from the TRS-80 Color Computer (may it rest in peace). How do they do it?


• As the MV3 Go, So Go the Cardinals - St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz is a personal journalistic favorite and aptly describes the reason for the Cards' win over the Cubbies yesterday.

Have a good start to the week, everyone.

Irony

Driving to the seminary this morning, I saw a bumper sticker that read "Trees are the future."

Ironically, the bumper sticker was on a wood chipper.

Things I'm Looking Forward to in the Next Week

(Photo taken by Megan at The Butterfly House; thanks to our landlord for the free tix)

Here are some coming highlights for the next seven days:

• Playing with my kids and mowing the yard on Saturday (with the rain we just had, we're going to lose our three-year-old if I don't)


• Watching the first day of baseball season on Sunday (in particular, the Cardinals' first day, that is if it's being broadcasted locally)


• Seeing and catching up with my high schoolers after their week of Spring Break on Monday (I miss the little buggers)


• Having a normal academic day on Tuesday (it's been a while since we've had a "normal" anything around here)


• Taking my second Reformation and Modern Church History exam on Wednesday (okay, so there's not much else going on on Wednesday)


• Finishing up my Good Friday homily on Thursday (no classes because of Maundy Thursday, so this will be a nice day of study and prep)


• Giving my Good Friday homily at Memorial's service on Friday (my parents are coming down for part of the weekend, so that will be fun, too)

Of course, celebrating Easter will be the best of all next Sunday, but that falls outside the seven-day window (technicalities, you know). Anything you're looking forward to in the next week?

Saving Daylight

I'll come right out and say it: I'm a fan of Daylight Saving Time. Part of my affinity is simply change (which I usually like); part is that it just makes sense for a lot of reasons, not the least of which that it buys me a little extra time in the morning as my kids adjust to trying getting up in the morning after playing later outside the night before ("falling back" always works against us).

"Springing forward" to make use of more daylight seems good stewardship to me, and I'm not just talking about energy. During the winter months, I always feel like my body is fighting against nature. Personally (and I have no way to prove this other than my own observation), my body line ups/feels better during DST. I don't know why; it just does.

Maybe this is the farm kid in me talking, but if the sun's up or out, there must still be work to do somewhere. Then again, that may be this farm kid's father talking - he who, when I would lumber to the breakfast table at 8:05 in the morning to woof down breakfast before speeding to make an 8:15 school bell, would remind me "the day's half over".

In case you're wondering, Dad always liked DST; Mom, not so much, as we were always eating dinner at 7:30 during planting season.

I know there are plenty of folks who have all kinds of reasons why they don't like DST, but I've not heard one that seems legitimate. Maybe you have one?

Megan asked me last night if she thought our Macs would compensate for the earlier-than-usual time change this spring. Sure enough, they did (our PC is still an hour behind), which is just another reason to buy a Mac instead of a PC, not one to give up daylight saving time.

Wildwood Wisdom (part 2)

More proverbial wisdom from my students:

"Like sunlight through a window is a man of wisdom's words:
a source of light where there is none."

"When you are in pain, go see your physician;
for the pain he inflicts upon you will replace your original agony."

"An only child is lonely,
but siblings create discord."

And here's one about a student whose place of residence is a mystery to the entire student body (his address is a P.O. box and he won't allow anyone to come over or follow him home):

"There is one whose roads are lost,
and the knowledge of house is hidden.
No one knows how to find his bed,
and he is content to drive alone.
Others may look and follow his car,
but we will never find his true address."

More to come.

Wildwood Wisdom (part 1)

I'm a week away from finishing up the book of Proverbs with my Wildwood high schoolers (we're studying biblical wisdom literature). As part of today's class (and with no warning and a ten-minute time limit), I asked the students to write their own proverbs. Most were really clever, and I thought I'd post some of their entries throughout the week (I've got a test tomorrow morning and two papers due Thursday, so blogging may be sparse this week). Here goes:

"Dogs are like children;
give them a cookie and they love you forever."

"A wise man heats his car up before scraping ice off of it,
but a fool hastily hacks it off and cracks his windshield."

"Like salt on a wound does too much gum ail the jaw,
but a big mouth will become useful."

And here's one on last night's Oscar awards:

"My son, expecting others to make the right choices will surely lead to disappointment, but he who keeps their humanity in mind will not be caught off guard."

More tomorrow.

Link-o-rama

I haven't done a post of interesting links, podcasts, and other various and sundry items for a while, so here goes (warning: don't click these links if you don't want to think):

• I heard this NOW story on Housing First's Pathways to Housing project, an initiative that basically gives homeless people free furnished apartments as a way to help them, regardless of whether their behavior with drugs, alcohol, or work habits change. While I was skeptical (and still am to a degree - something about Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat"), I was challenged by the spirit of the effort.


• Over the past several months, I've really enjoyed the true and thoughtful podcasted stories on This American Life. Though I only understand about every other word host and producer Ira Glass says (how did this guy get a job in radio with such quirky, slurry speech?), most of the actual storytelling is done by others. Great weekly themes make for a very enjoyable hour of listening.


• My friend Trevor over at Atoms and Ideas is always proposing some new idea that could change the world. This post, on the call to love both city and country, is one of his best.


• We've got a few new pics up at Flickr (you'll need special access to see the family if you don't have it already), including a book-cover collage of Megan similar to the one I did of myself below. It turned out okay.


• Finally, I've just posted our February update for all to read. It's short, sweet, and to the point (like all good updates should be), so enjoy.

Have a good weekend, everybody.

Just Call Me Wendell Berry

Yes, it would curtail people's personal freedoms and take us back to the dark ages when people actually had to talk to one another, but for no other reason than basic human courtesy, I don't think this is all that bad of an idea.

Who's with me?

Happiness Is...

...when your 8-year-old, given the task of coordinating the cleaning of the two rooms belonging to her and her sisters, requests as a soundtrack, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles (later covered by The Presidents of the United States of America for The Wedding Singer).

Training them up in the way they should go (at least when it comes to 80's music classics)...

On Second Thought...

I sat down to blog tonight, but for some reason had a difficult time picking a topic and investing the energy. Thus, I won't subject you to a "second draft" that's really only a first one.

Hope you feel loved.

And I'm Off Like a Herd of Turtles...

Been up to my eyeballs in paper grading and the last of our moving experience (my least favorite part: hanging stuff). We're loving the new place and really making the most of the new space, planning to host an open house before the spring semester starts later this month. If you're in town, consider yourself invited (details to come).

Saw The Nativity Story the other night with Megan and the girls and thoroughly enjoyed it (though it got a little modern/Hallmark-ish at the end, especially in the cheeseball "Silent Night" soundtrack arrangement and the Nativity "pose" at the end). The appearance of Gabriel to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds was underwhelming (manifesting a convincing angel is no easy task), but I loved how they portrayed Joseph and fleshed out his character and circumstance - a nice visual to the "resolved to divorce her quietly" struggle in Matthew.

In terms of book reading, I'm halfway through The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester, as well as The Shangri-La Diet by Seth Roberts. I'm planning to read Derek Kidner's short commentary on the Wisdom literature (Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes) so I can finalize the syllabus for the Bible class I teach at Wildwood, which starts Monday. I'm really looking forward to studying this with my students, and plan on doing most of our work in class together so as to teach the "how" as well as the "what" of studying Bible discourse.

Not too many extra plans for 2007, other than:

• lose 20-25 pounds (and a few belt sizes)


• spend (read: "waste") less time on the Internet


• pray more (always)


• write more (and not just on the blog)


• read 65-70 books


• exercise more (yeah, yeah)

Sometime in 2007, I need to (finally, and for a third time) pass Hebrew (yep, I failed it again, though with a C this time). Oh, and I'd like - no I NEED - to find a job by May (that's not a resolution but a requirement) for when we leave support in six months. By the way, thanks to the couple of you who responded to our appeal last month - that meant - and means - a lot to us. Personal thank you note on the way...

Now that we're in a house in a neighborhood, I'd like to re-learn how to relate to people who live on my same street, rubbing intellectual and emotional elbows with folks who come from a different perspective than mine, and learning from them as I learn to love them in the process. That would be hugely encouraging to me.

There's more (as always), but it would be too much. We'll see how this much goes and take it from there. Any resolutions/plans out there you'd like to share?

Happy New Year

In case I'm not awake at midnight (and I won't be), Happy New Year.

More in 2007...

Merry Christmas to All

We're at the grandparents' in Illinois through Christmas Day, when we'll then head to Megan's sister's near Kansas City until Wednesday, (finally) finishing moving in at the new place Thursday. We're 90% there, but that last 10% is always the hardest.

In the meantime, we're catching up on some sleep and some reading (sans highlighter), and letting the grandparents do their thing with the little ones.

I'm also playing with my parents' new dog, Annie (a really sweet black lab), enjoying my folks' new high-speed Internet, and hoping to get some extended time to walk and pray before Monday. It's good to be home.

Coming soon: my 2006 booklist (with rankings). Look for it Monday or Tuesday.

Merry Christmas.

PS: Pray I can endure the gift exchange(s) with grace. Not real fond of those...

Megan Turns 33

Megan's thirty-third birthday is today, and it comes after a doozy of a Thanksgiving "break," as our youngest has been in the hospital here in Pittsfield, IL, since Thanksgiving night with pneumonia. We're hoping to bring her home (to Grandma and Grandpa's, that is) this afternoon/evening, and maybe even make it back to St. Louis on Monday, but at this point we're not holding our breath.

But that's not the point of this post.

I took this picture of Megan a couple of months ago when we were here for the Griggsville Apple Festival. While you can't tell it from the picture, she's sitting in the middle of the chaos of our Apple Jacks float amongst our four little ones as well as my sisters' kiddos (two each for a total of four), and this shot represents as well as any the quiet and gentle spirit within her (not to mention her fierce commitment to her family and what we sometimes require).

Most people have no idea how absolutely lost and lonely I would be in this life without Megan. I cannot imagine going through so much of what we have (especially in the past year-and-a-half and our move to St. Louis) with anyone else - she has been more supportive, more flexible, more committed, more loving, and more gracious than I ever deserve. Truly, I married well.

One of Megan's closest friends in Colorado once told me that the thing she respected most about Megan was that she had never, ever heard Megan criticize me in public. After almost ten years (as of next month) of marriage, this is a remarkable accomplishment to me, as well as a tribute to her impeccable character and relentless love.

She is a great wife and mother who also happens to be a talented writer, a gifted seamstress, a skilled cook, a warm lover, and a consummate companion without whom I would be the worse for wear. She is the Eve to my Adam; the Scully to my Mulder. And today she adds another year of wisdom to her well-lived life and teaches me every day about faith, hope, and love.

Happy birthday, Crazy. I love you.

Missing Time

I swear I am being abducted by aliens at least on a daily basis. How do I know this? I am periodically (and perpetually) missing time (usually about seven minutes a shot) in my day.

For those not aware of such abduction lore (yet another reason to watch The X-Files on DVD), the conspiracy goes that when aliens abduct humans, the humans' watches record that time has passed, though they have absolutely no memory of it.

The ways this phenomenon manifests itself in my world are multiple:

• getting my four children from our apartment into the van - missing time


• checking just one blog or news site - missing time


• walking across campus (usually a two-minute walk) - missing time


• trying to decide which of my assignments/projects to tackle next - missing time

This "missing time" thing is annoying. Maybe Thanksgiving will stop the abductions.

I want to believe.

Paging Reality

Overheard tonight at my two oldest daughters' rehearsal for the St. Louis Children's Choir:

A mother (on cell to husband): "Rather than come home to change, I think it would just be quicker to pick some clothes up at the mall."

Same planet, different world.

Hope

In the midst of midterms, I had the thought today that there were enough things, ideas, projects, opportunities, and pursuits swirling around me for which I have very specific and deep hopes. And, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to record some of them. I'm not sure how interesting this may be, but you're welcome to add your own list of hopes to mine.

By God's grace,

• I have hope (though there's not much left after tonight's loss) that the Cardinals can pull out the NLCS to get into the World Series. That would be fun and cool for the girls and me, as they are getting into baseball more and more with each game we watch or listen to together.


• I have hope for Memorial as well as Covenant's Student Council (of which I'm an elected "middler representative"), that my efforts to help others lead will free them from a lack of confidence and conviction in their leadership.


• I have hope for our family (both immediate and extended), that what I'm learning in my Marriage and Family Counseling class will enable me to be just a little better member of both.


• I have hope for my girls, that they would somehow grow up with an unbelievable amount of security and a minimal amount of scarring despite the fact that I am their father.


• I have hope for Megan and me, that we can continue to grow together and let go of any grief we've dealt with in the first almost-ten years of our marriage. It's hardly been tons, but it's been enough.


• I have hope for another two-and-a-half good years here at Covenant, that we could learn much and apply even more, both now and later.


• I have hope that we can somehow pay for school (and everything else). I also have hope of somehow paying for four weddings one day, and even more hope that the girls will want to double-up so we'll only have to pay for two.


• I have hope of a pastoring/teaching role being both available and begging me to fill it. I don't really care where we end up, but I suppose I do secretly hope it's in the Midwest - I like it here.


• I have hope to keep our family's farm in the family at least through my lifetime.


• I have hope of graduating from seminary with spunk (and not just a degree).


• I have hope of one day writing another book...on something.


• I have hope of being secure if I never do (write another book, that is).


• I have hope of being in the presence of God forever and not doubting that I belong because of Jesus.


• I have hope of always having hope.

For those who know me, you know I'm hardly an optimist; I'm more of a pessimistic-idealist.

Enjoy it while you can.

Weekend Links

Here are a few weekend links you might find engaging:

• Good, concise thoughts on inward-facing intellectualism at Agkyra (line I most appreciated: The problem facing evangelicals, particularly in this area (of intellectualism) is not that we're anti-intellectual as much as that we concentrate our intellectual talents on a narrow range of concerns.)
  
• 50 motivations to make yourself work (specifically for writers, though the principles could easily apply to other disciplines)


• My friend, Ed, has a piece called "Getting Things Done: 9 Online Task Management Solutions" up at Low End Mac (even if you're not a Mac user, this might be helpful)


• Latest Zogby poll (I actually was surveyed for this one, so it's interesting to read the overall results and how my answers did and didn't compare)


• Barlow's got a helpful primer on Missouri's cloning bill (it's taken from one of his Friday class discussions at SLU and is a concise look at the debate)


• And finally, if you're wondering why cloning is so much of an issue these days, read next week's cover story of Time titled "How We Became Human" to better understand some of the background (if we're little more than chimps, who cares?)

I'm knee-deep in Hebrew until Monday's mid-term, though I'll probably take a break to watch/listen to the Cardinals at noon today. We've got a marriage dinner at Memorial tonight as well, so it won't just be me, my vocab cards, and my Hebrew grammar all day long (though it needs to be that way for a large part of it). Oh, and I'm teaching on Law tomorrow morning, so I should probably finish that up (if you're interested, class starts at 9:40, with worship at 10:45).

Random Schmada

As the past week has largely been a wash in terms of actual content here at Second Drafts, I thought I'd round out the week with a random list so as not to break the cycle. Thankfully, this weekend is fairly unspoken for in terms of previous engagements (the first time in nearly a month), so I'll try to do better. In the meantime, enjoy the random schmada below.

Intriguing search engine terms with which people found my blog in the past week:

• "men need emotional support"


• "best books seminary training"


• "significant quotes from the puritan time"


• "euphemisms for stupid"


• "cereal parade float pictures"


• "playing dress up with the wife" (my favorite)

Biggest academic breakthrough in the past month: Hebrew (I'm finally getting it...for now)

Latest season of The X-Files watched on DVD: Season 4

Latest song downloaded from iTunes: "Suitcase" by Keb' Mo'

Best book read in the past month: How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart

Worst book read in the past month: The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks

Book I'm looking forward to reading in the next month: What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain

Check back next week for something (hopefully) a little more intellectually stimulating.