A Momentous Day

Policy issues and opinions aside, today is a historic day for our country. Our first African-American president has taken office. While watching the inauguration ceremonies , I could not help but feel some of the history. I also could not help but think of all the movies and television shows I've seen that have had fictional African-American presidents. Truth has caught up with fiction.

We'll see how the Obama presidency goes. For now I will celebrate what I hope will be a positive moment for our country.

Snow Update

Well, the weather forecasters can breathe a collective sigh of relief. After saying somewhat sheepishly last night it may not snow quite as much as initially predicted, you can see how our yard looked this morning. It's still coming down and we may in fact get close to six inches.

It's of course messed up our school calendar. We'll probably end up going to school during Easter week. It sure is pretty though.

No School on Tuesday!

At 6:15 pm, I received a phone call saying that school had been canceled for all students, faculty, and staff tomorrow. They apparently were taking to heart the predictions that were almost guaranteeing at the time anywhere from 3 to 6 inches. At 11:30, all the weather folks were backtracking, scaling things back to 2 to 4 inches, with 1 inch being the most likely. It will probably turn into one of those "We should have delayed school two hours" events. I hold my criticisms and just quote my principal who likes to say, "It is what it is."

Happy Sledding (I hope)!

Poor Timing

• There is approximately 1 cup of milk left in the refrigerator. Forecasters are calling for some possible wintry mix this evening and 2-4" of accumulation tomorrow. I know there will be a run on bread and milk today. Everyone will think I'm part of the panic, but I REALLY do need milk

• Deer season ended January 1. Almost immediately on the day after, all the deer that had been hiding in the woods have returned to the fields in the evening to eat. While walking through the woods, the boys and I even jumped the deer we had been hunting and tracking all season 10 days AFTER the season ended. The doves have even returned to the skies now that dove season has ended. How do they know?!
  

The Myth of Sharing

Yesterday I concluded a three week class I've been teaching some of fourth and fifth grade Cub Scouts in my sons' pack. It was the God & Family class, part of the God and Country curriculum. In a couple of weeks I'll be teaching God & Me to some of the second and third graders. One of the things we talked about today in our final session was the sharing of our faith. After talking about the story of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, the boys were asked this question, "How do you talk about your faith with your friends?" I was floored by their response. Their overwhelming response was, "We're not allowed to talk about God in school."

When I tried to assure them that they could indeed talk about God in school, they emphatically explained to me how wrong I was. I used examples like they cannot stop you from telling a friend how much fun you had at church the day before. They were adamant in their belief that no mention of God whatsoever was allowed in schools.

I went on to explain that what is not allowed is the school itself telling them that one god or religion is preferable to another but they could talk personally to one another as much as they please, as long as they did not disrupt the educational environment. I had eight boys stare back at me, unwavering in their belief I was wrong.

I'm still trying to process that event. What led them to such a belief? Have we talked so much about how God has been kicked out of the public schools that our children have now constructed their own interpretations of what that means, regardless of how wrong it might be? Have we as parents and Christian teachers created a mentality that has discouraged the sharing of our faith for whatever reason? Have we become so afraid of the consequences (both legal and social) as adults that it has become passed down to our children without any conscious effort on our part?

I fear that what is happening in the minds of these young boys and people everywhere is the further confirmation that Christian faith is irrelevant to real life. It is becoming more and more privatized, severing all links from our day to day living. This is not an accurate protrayal of Christianity.

What I hope happens is that Christianity will begin to appear even more dangerous, so dangerous that our children will be afraid to mention it in school. I hope it becomes so dangerous that people begin to see its value again. I hope they begin to be drawn back to it because it must mean something. I hope people's lives are changed as a result. And I hope those eight young Cub Scouts will develop the faith and courage of three young Hebrew men who faced the fiery furnace.

The Cost of Things (from a different angle)

Friday night I watched part of Oliver!. The musical opens with the Governor and Board of Directors of the Workhouse orphanage getting ready for their meal. They pass through the boys dining room and take a look at the gruel about to be served. Each man makes a face. They then retreat to their private dining room and feast. Once the orphans come out to eat, the contrast between the men and the boys is magnified. Each one of the boys is a skinny waif with hardly any meat on his bones. The Directors are all heavy set men. The men are not proportionately large - they are the proud owners of VERY large potbellies.

Among the many thoughts that ran through my mind was a tinge of guilt. As our economy continues to tank and more and more people find themselves unemployed (including folks in our neighborhood, spouses of my coworkers, and the people you know as well), the practice of indulging one's own greed and appetite while remaining indifferent to the plights of those suffering right under your nose eats at my soul. I won't even get started on how such practices characterize our society at large and may even be a small part of today's problems. Let's not forget how the Old Testament prophets continually spoke out against such a reality in Israel and Judah.

Are having things a sin? No. Is it wrong to have more than someone else? By no means. Is it wrong to ignore the plight of those in need when you have the capacity to help? Yes. That's part of the cost of things. It can also change the world.

The Cost of Things

I'm writing this post from my "new" laptop. When I say "new", I really mean "new" to me. It's actually about 7 years old, certainly not a top of the line machine. I've been carrying it around for four years, hoping to get it fixed. Four years ago the screen kept going in and out. I was told by people who fixed these things that it would take about $200 to fix it - parts and labor. The culprit was a part called the video inverter.

I don't know why I've kept this machine, but I did. Over the holidays I decided to go out on a lark and do some research. I found a site that showed me how to take the screen off and replace the inverter. I found the part on eBay for only $18 + $12 shipping from Hong Kong. The part came yesterday. I fixed it myself for only $30. Much better than $200. Today I went out and bought a wireless card so I could surf from my couch and not be tethered to the router.

It's always nice to fix things yourself. Most of the time you save money. It may take you longer, but there is also a sense of accomplishment by doing it yourself. Of course, that may be a guy thing, I don't know. Any women readers out there can let me know.

Of course, not everything can be fixed by yourself, usually because you do not have the tools or the expertise. The sin that marks our lives from the day we are born is just such a thing. No matter how hard I try, I can never fix the broken relationship that exists between God and me. I cannot earn my way into heaven. I cannot pay for the sin that causes the rift to exist.

That's why I have to depend on God's grace. It is his grace that sent his son Jesus to us. It is his grace that gave his son's life for us when we were undeserving of it. It is only through his sacrificial death of a perfect sinless life that atonement can be made. That is the high cost of salvation. That's a deal that will never be found on eBay

Post Christmas Update

Not that anyone cares, but here's my very belated post-Christmas update where I enthusiastically share about the cool things I got for Christmas. This Christmas can be summed up the words "Potato Head". I sort of unofficially began collecting the novelty Mr. Potato Heads out there when I received the Darth Tater and Optimash Prime versions the last two Christmases. This Christmas I received FOUR! different spuds - an Indiana Jones Potato Head, a generic Halloween with several costumes, and my two favorite versions - Artoo Potatoo and the Spudtrooper. I'll only you one guess as to what the last two are supposed to be. I've been too lazy to take a quick pic and post it here. I'll try to do so within the next week.

I'm really excited about these gifts. The problem is I need someplace to display them. I'd like to put them on display in my classroom so my kids can see just how unbalanced their math teacher really is. I also know the risk of having Darth Tater's light saber disappear by doing so. Right now, I don't have anywhere to show them, at home or school. It's something I've got to work on.

This wasn't my intended reason for posting the above, but as I was typing it occurred to me that Mr. Potato Head has a lot in common with spiritual gifts. Yes, you heard it here first. Every follower of Christ on a faith journey has one or more spiritual gifts. But, they don't always display them, use them, put them in a place where others can see (and be ministered to by) them. I definitely think my faith journey and its gifts are far more important than my SpudTrooper and his laser potato masher. If I'm going to put him on display, shouldn't I do the same with the greatest gift of all, salvation from God through Jesus Christ? Shouldn't I then put on display all the other gifts he then gives me? Just a thought.

BTW, the other word that could have described my Christmas was camouflage. I did take a picture of my new hunting attire, but you couldn't see it. So I didn't bother posting the picture.